Open Text Corporation

Open Text empowers organizations to find information, develop it collaboratively, and distribute the results over local and worldwide webs efficiently, economically, and securely.

Resource Link: http://www.opentext.com

Podcasting: A New Tool to Plant and Sow the Seeds of Negotiation and Mediation

Joshua N. Weiss, Ph.D., Global Negotiation Project at Harvard’s Program on Negotiation, Associate Director.

We live in a world of instant information. We live in a world of simplicity. We live in a world that desparately needs negotiation and mediation skills and processes. Podcasting enables practitioners and scholars of negotiation and mediation to extend our reach and explain concepts simply, in an unfiltered manner, to a large number of people around the globe. If 3,800 people have downloaded my Podcasts over the past four months alone, imagine what would happen if we had legions of Podcasters spreading the message that negotiation and mediation are invaluable tools to have in your toolbox. I am hard pressed to think of something that would help our field more...aren’t you?

Resource Link: http://www.thataway.org/exchange/files/docs/Weiss_Podcasting.doc

SurveyMonkey.com

Powerful yet simple tools for designing online survey, collecting responses and analyzing the results. Both 'basic' (free) and 'professional' (pretty affordable) subscriptions available.

Resource Link: http://www.surveymonkey.com

Techniques of "Conversational Terrorism"

Dean and Marshall VanDruff, 1995.

This is a great collection of conversational terror tactics that are frequently used to thwart efforts to communication civilly and respectfully. The intent of detailing and naming these insidious tactics is to help us AVOID USING THEM, to quickly recognize if someone else is using them, and for fun. There is much humor in the way people (consciously or unconsciously) conversationally cheat.

Resource Link: http://www.vandruff.com/art_converse.html

The Activist's Handbook: A Primer for the 1990s and Beyond (revised edition)

Randy Shaw. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2001.

The Activist's Handbook is a hard-hitting guide to making social change happen. Shaw, a longtime activist for urban issues, shows how positive change can still be accomplished if activists employ the strategies set forth in this desperately needed primer. In a new preface, Shaw describes how the power of grassroots activism has won newfound respect. Mass protests against globalization and in favor of stricter gun controls have led once-invulnerable targets like the World Bank and the National Rifle Association to take citizen action more seriously.

The Grant Institute

The Grant Institute offers expert workshops for nonprofit professionals, academic researchers, program planners, and public sector administration employees. The Grant Institute is the leader of grant writing education in respect to professional preparation and multi-disciplinary focus. Currently, we offer two certificate programs nationwide, Grants 101: Professional Grant Proposal Writing and the Certificate in Professional Program Development and Grant Communication.

Think it Through: What it takes to design & fund an effective communications strategy

The Benton Foundation.

The digital media environment brings new potential for partnerships and collaborations, inviting qualitatively different relationships between organisations and their constituencies, members and donors. Non-profit leaders need credible, succinct information to meet the challenges of the digital age. The Benton Foundation capacity building project documented best practices and lessons learned by non-profits about the impact, successes, failures and struggles in using the strategic communications toolkit. This toolkit catalogues valuable lessons on what it takes to design and fund an effective communications technology strategy, including planning, audience development, message shaping, evaluation and funding.

Resource Link: http://www.benton.org/publibrary/toolkits/thinkthru.html

Tips for Participating in Conference Calls

Heartland Inc., which regularly holds VisionHolder TeleConversations (conference calls that allow participants to talk to and learn from leaders they admire), provides these tips for call participants. If you find yourself convening and/or facilitating conference calls, we suggest you share tips like these with those who will join your calls!