February always seems like a good time to start new ventures. The year is still young, for me work is quite scarce, and there’s time to think about doing new things.
Last February I launched The Writing Circle, a Brisbane-based network of workplace writing groups. We’ve got two groups meeting regularly to talk about ways to improve our workplace writing. And while I’m the facilitator of these groups, I’m finding that I learn an enormous amount from all of the participants. The groups have become a great way to be consciously conscious of how and why we write.
This February I’ve started using the Zing collaborative meeting software. I’m hoping that it will help me to facilitate collaborative, democratic meetings that help participants to create new knowledge. I used it last week in a workshop about Personally Controlled Electronic Health Records, and participants seemed to really enjoy the way that wireless keyboards had replaced the traditional workshop staple of butchers’ paper. More information about Zing is available at http://www.infodesigncentre.com.au/?webpage=30 or at http://www.anyzing.com/.
And this February I’m also starting these occasional posts. I’m planning to write about clear communication – particularly plain writing and simple ideas. Of course, how much I write will depend a bit on how busy I become and how many interesting things I notice.