BUILDING EFFECTIVE PARTNERSHIPS
“Cooperation is as much a part of the system as competition, and the slogan “survival of the fittest” distorts this fact.”
- George Soros, Philanthropist and Chairman of the Open Society Institute

Description: No organization, no matter how well staffed and funded, has the capacity to achieve environmental conservation and sustainable development on its own. The protection of biodiversity and other natural resources requires cooperation between organizations, as well as among governments, agencies, sectors, and disciplines.

People need to be able to shake hands across tables, hedge rows, fence lines, and bodies of water. Come learn how to inspire, build, maintain, and grow effective, long-lasting partnerships. (3 days)

CREATIVE “THINKING”
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.” - Albert Einstein, Physicist and Philosopher

Description: The creative imagination births possibility and perseverance. It can paint a compelling picture of what a better world could look like, help us dream of ways to turn that picture into reality, and motivate us to overcome significant challenges to success.

In this course, we will teach you strategies for fostering your own creative potential, as well as techniques for guiding groups through creative thinking processes. You’ll have the opportunity to explore ways to use creative expression as a tool for environmental education, outreach, and problem solving. (3 days)

COMMUNICATION ACROSS DISCIPLINES, CULTURES, AND SECTORS
“Conservation and resource management problems cannot be solved without effective communication.” – Susan Jacobson, Wildlife Ecologist, University of Florida

Description: In order to achieve environmental conservation and sustainable development, we need to educate and motivate diverse constituencies, prevent and resolve conflicts, create effective partnerships, and obtain the resources necessary to change the world for the better.

Ultimately, your level of success is determined by your capacities as a communicator. We can help you learn how to communicate effectively with your colleagues, as well as with people who have quite different perspectives and approaches.

Do you want to be able to have a greater influence on policy making or through the media? Do you want your environmental education programs to encourage action as well transmit information? This course is for you. (3 days).

PRESENTATION SKILLS
Every creature in nature knows how to make a highly motivating presentation.

Description: Did you know that your audience is much more likely to be influenced by your body language (55%) than your words (7%)? Whether it is at a scientific meeting, in front of Congress, or in a classroom, your presentation skills do make a difference – perhaps the difference between habitat protection and destruction.

In this course, we will tell and show you how to make highly informative and motivating presentations. You’ll be able to apply what you have learned to any presentation format and increase your ability to effectively present information to a wide variety of audiences. (3 days)

PREVENTING, RESOLVING, AND EMBRACING CONFLICT
“Always frame conflicts as a clash of ideas, not persons.”
- Robert Kegan, Developmental Psychologist, Harvard University

Description: Conflicts can arise when people appear to have different ideas, beliefs, and values. We have all seen it. Undoubtedly, you can think of numerous examples – on the same land, one group wants to create a national park and another to secure logging rights.

Conflicts can also occur when people are in conceptual agreement. In this case, the challenge is not so much what the issue is, but how the issue is being approached by different people. Although these conflicts may be less apparent – both to those involved and those watching – they can create formidable barriers to environmental conservation and sustainable development.

You need to know how to prevent and resolve conflicts with the colleague down the hall, as well as the person sitting at the helm of a megacorporation. We’ll teach you how to prevent and manage both types of conflicts. You will also learn how to look for and maximize the unexpected opportunities that can arise when conflicts do occur. (3 days)

PRINCIPLES OF VISIONARY LEADERSHIP
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” - John Quincy Adams, Sixth President of the United States

“Leadership can be thought of as a capacity to define oneself to others in a way that clarifies and expands a vision of the future.” - Edwin H. Friedman, Author

Description: Most individuals dedicated to the environment - whether they are conservation biologists, natural resource managers, policy specialists, environmental educators, or citizen activists – have not been trained to maximize their own capacities, nor to work effectively with and lead other people. In fact, many environmental conservationists are not particularly fond of Homo sapiens. They see people as the problem. Yet, it is people who hold the vision and capacity to change the world for the better. In this course, we will introduce you to the principles of visionary leadership. Through practical exercises, you’ll have the opportunity to strengthen your own leadership capacities and learn how to help other people achieve their leadership potential. (3 days)

SYSTEMS THINKING
“…what I choose to do shapes a little bit of the world, and the ripples sent out by the actions of us all change the whole world for better or for worse.”
- Philip Stewart, Botanist

Description: Earth is a living system and we are part of it. People who share this world view think about the affects of their actions on other people and the natural world. They have the capacity to make choices that meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Let us introduce you to tools and techniques for exploring and teaching the perspectives of interconnectedness, inclusiveness, and response-ability. (3 days)