Greetings Fellow Facilitators!

It's been several weeks since my last R&D memo and since then we've had lots of new members join our team. I'd like to welcome you and thank you for stepping forward to contribute to and learn with this group. We're at over 200 members now. Yes!

To maintain an ongoing record of R&D communications, I've set up a website introducing the R&D Team concept and containing an archive of past memos. View this site at: http://www.facilitatoru.com/rdteam/rdteam.html

Happy Birthday to Me...

Hey, please wish me happy birthday today. I'm 45. Good God! Where does time go? I'm feeling my mortality more than ever and feel like I'd better get off my rear end and make something of myself. <g>. In celebration, I'm in Mammoth, CA for the week with my partner Susan enjoying the cool mountain breezes, hiking, relaxing, and inspiration from Mother Nature.

12-Month Plan.

While visiting my friends and coaches Rob Berkley and Debbie Phillips at Martha's Vineyard a couple of weeks ago, they helped me develop a 12-month plan for FacilitatorU.com using MindJet mind-mapping software. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with the scope and depth of what I was visualizing with FacilitatorU, but mind-mapping the whole project, along with plans for the next 12 months gave me a structure that I can get my arms around. This has freed up a lot of energy and helped me clarify the actions I need to take. Thanks Rob and Debbie for your support!

Though this memo only touches on some of what we have in store at FacilitatorU.com, we'll be giving you a larger view of our plans in future memos over the next few weeks.

You might want to check out this software for your own work as well. I find I'm using it a lot right now. It really helps me to get ideas out in a way that inspires more creativity and provides a great format for continuously evolving them. Use the link above to receive a 5% discount when you purchase or try their 21-day free trial.

Announcing FActivities.com.

One of the major projects planned for FacilitatorU.com is a large online database of experiential exercises, organized for facilitators and trainers to use with their groups. We've come up with the name FActivities.com for the website (Note that we made up a new word for "Facilitated Activities" in case that slipped by you!). Here's the strategy for this site as we currently envision it.

- Create an exercise format defining the pieces of information required for each exercise. For example, this format will probably include such items as: Exercise name, description, objective, duration, debriefing questions, additional resources, notes to the facilitator, etc.

- Put out a request to the larger facilitation and coaching community asking them to submit their exercises in accordance with our predefined format. They will be allowed to submit their resource box as well to highlight themselves as the contributor of the exercise.

- Include some kind of guidance with regard to copyright indicating that these exercises must be authored by the submitter, or the submitter must receive the author's permission to include in database.

- Develop this online content and, at some point, when we've got over 200 exercises or so (with a goal of 1,000), begin to offer this as a membership site for some set fee. Not sure whether this would be a one-time fee or a yearly fee. Would of course have to continue to provide new value over time for a yearly fee.

- This database will not only benefit FacilitatorU.com but will also be a showcase for our readers and customers offering them an opportunity to easily share themselves and their work with a large and growing network of fellow professionals and potential clients worldwide.

Where we need your help.

Please tell us what you think of the above strategy:

- Do you like the name, FActivities.com? If not, any other ideas?

- Do you have any ideas on how we might attract or find sources of authors willing to contribute their exercises to the database?

- Do you have any additions to the format in which each exercise should be presented?

- Do you have any exercises you'd like to submit yourself? If so, please do!

- Do you have any guidance on the membership site idea? Pricing, added value, complementary products/services, collaborations, etc.?

Confidentiality

Please remember that the content of what's shared in this and all R&D memos is company confidential and should not be shared with anyone outside this list. The foundation, livlihood, and future viability of our virtual organization is totally dependent on our ability to generate and sell our Intellectual Capital. So please respect this policy and keep what we share with you to yourself. Thank you.

Thanks very much for your support!

Warmest regards,

Steve Davis 1.760.375.7384 1.877.768.9016 (fax) steve@FacilitatorU.com; www.FacilitatorU.com Virtual Facilitation Training and Resources......Just in Time, situation-based tools, providing what you need, when you need it.

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