Author Archives: Cathy Sharp

Appreciative Facilitation Invitation to join an on-line action learning set

Posted on May 10, 2021 by Cathy Sharp

“I believe that emotions urge us to action, so action learning has to dive into the emotional landscape of the present at all times. If we stay in denial of our emotions, we are susceptible to endless anxiety and stuckness”. … Continue reading →

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Grow As We Go

Posted on September 17, 2020 by Cathy Sharp

It’s exciting to announce a new initiative – Grow As We Go originates in and builds from the legacy of My Home Life, a highly successful relationship-centred leadership programme to enhance the experience of those who live, die, visit and … Continue reading →

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“Everything I’ve ever done has ultimately failed”

Posted on August 20, 2020 by Cathy Sharp

One of the positive experiences to come from the pandemic is the chance to connect with people across the world with common interests in systems change.  In many webinars and video conferences, it’s pleasing and affirming to find that there … Continue reading →

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What is worthwhile work?

Posted on November 22, 2019 by Cathy Sharp

A few weeks ago, at the end of a workshop where there had been high engagement and energy in the room, someone said to me “Is this a typical day for you, as Research for Real?”  What a great question.  … Continue reading →

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Stories and more…the conversations that are possible

Posted on February 8, 2019 by Cathy Sharp

At the 2019 Firestarter Festival myself and Keira Oliver ran a workshop grandly entitled “Practising change together – towards appreciative and collaborative evaluation.”  We hoped to develop the ideas and themes from the FSF2018 event “Reigniting Evaluation” and take it … Continue reading →

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What can we do with our stories? Reflections from the Faroes

Posted on April 27, 2018 by Cathy Sharp

In my efforts to refresh my social theory and develop new perspectives on evaluation I recently attended a social constructivism conference on Communication, Collaboration and Relationships in the Faroe Islands[1].  I’d be alerted to this opportunity by one of the … Continue reading →

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Where nothing is clear, and everything keeps changing – new territories for evaluation

Posted on April 18, 2018 by Cathy Sharp

Greetings from the Faroe Islands.  In my efforts to develop new perspectives on evaluation I’m attending a conference on Communication, Collaboration and Relationships.  This is my annual dose of CPD – like many people from the UK, this is new … Continue reading →

Posted in 5th generation evaluation, Appreciative inquiry, Co-production and new ways of working, Courses and events, How can evaluation be useful?, Living systems research, Research Impact, Stories, What is action research? | Comments Off on Where nothing is clear, and everything keeps changing – new territories for evaluation

“The cynicism that passes for sophistication”

Posted on March 7, 2018 by Cathy Sharp

I’m not sure when or how I first encountered Appreciative Inquiry.  But I do remember going to an Imagine Chicago conference in 2002 with a group of community activists from Edinburgh.  We had a thoroughly exciting time, meeting appreciative inquirers … Continue reading →

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Reigniting Evaluation – Unfolding Stories

Posted on February 2, 2018 by Cathy Sharp

Today about 24 people gathered in Edinburgh to explore what they value about evaluation, as part of the 2018 Fire Starter Festival. Working with our own stories of experience of evaluation at it’s best, we identified what values and qualities … Continue reading →

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When are you ever not prototyping?

Posted on December 30, 2017 by Cathy Sharp

I’m co-hosting an event at the forthcoming Fire Starter Festival.  We want to ignite conversations about learning-in-action to stimulate thinking about how evaluation practices might flourish to promote learning and innovation. We put prototyping in the title as a deliberate … Continue reading →

Posted in Appreciative inquiry, Co-production and new ways of working, Courses and events, How can evaluation be useful?, Leadership, Participatory research methods, Partnership working, Research Impact, Stories, What is action research? | Comments Off on When are you ever not prototyping?