What do you think about clowns, performance, complicite, the fourth wall, and red noses?  And what's all this got to do with writing?

For the AMED Writers' Group, Rachael West introduced a session about writing inspired by her three-month stint with the GreenTop Circus in Sheffield.  Rachael is a qualified engineer who is passionate about drawing upon the creative process in constructing and creating our environment.

Rachel writes:

'The Engineer Who Ran Away to the Circus...and lived to tell the tale

Soon to be touring conferences around the world, if only her amazing skills are recognised by a world that doesn't always know true brilliance.

The Engineer will be visiting the AMED writer's group on June 18 to share her adventure of running away to the exotic city of Sheffield to indulge in kebabs, expensive public transport and a fulltime circus course. The Engineer will very generously teach you some tricks of the trade and promises to try her best to stay away from Power Point presentations and charts. As a small consolation, she does ask that several of you bring a technological device which can connect to the internet, which is where her tales have been recorded. There will be no triple integrals to solve, but you may have to write, play and sing. And tell her what she can do better next time because engineers...well, engineers are engineers even if they have run away to the circus.'

If you'd like to join in the post-performance discussion, why not visit Rachael's blog here?  Paul Z Jackson, who had a ringside seat, also wrote about his experience and reflections afterwards here.  Or add your thoughts here, in this AWG Discussion.  If you're afraid of heights, remember - there is a safety net!

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I posted a blog about this entertaining workshop: The engineer who became a clown who became a facilitator http://bit.ly/cuvl01
Hi Paul,

Thanks for contributing to the session so much and for writing this post. The shortlink you've included doesn't seem to work and, while I did manage to find your post at the time, I did it so stealthily that I can't remember how I did it! Would you be able to send another link through?

I did want to send you some comments just to clarify a few things (I actually became a facilitator long before I became a clown) so I'll do that by email once I re-find your website! And could also send you a photo if you would prefer to have something other than the image downloaded from my Twitter profile : )

Take care,
Rachael

Paul Z Jackson said:
I posted a blog about this entertaining workshop: The engineer who became a clown who became a facilitator http://bit.ly/cuvl01

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Facilitation Training (Edinburgh) at The Melting Pot

April 4, 2012 from 10am to 4pm
‘Very useful, made me reconsider my approach when dealing with communities’Brian Dunne (Scottish Natural Heritage) ‘Extremely helpful to go through the whole process of facilitation’Ruth Campbell (Waste Aware Scotland) ‘Lots of meaty content - very engaging!’The Eden Project The need for good local engagement is becoming ever more important as work develops around empowerment and the ‘Big Society’. The CourseThis interactive course will look closely at the roles a facilitator may play and how and when a facilitator’s role may link in to work on longer term community development. It will build the confidence of anyone keen to be a good facilitator and give them a solid basis on which to develop their own skills. Local meetings and engagement processes can too often be un-involving, unproductive and even confrontational. Good facilitation can help tackle these problems and help people to make local discussion and planning an enjoyable and productive process.It is also important for the development of better policy and practice, for understanding local needs and developing more sustainable communities. People attending this course will learn how to:1. How and when to hold meetings and when to use other approaches2. Build a working relationship with an existing organisation or a group of individuals3. Use appropriate tools and techniques4. Develop facilitation work in ways appropriate to a range of diverse communities5. Deal with problematic situations6. Evaluate facilitated processesWho should attend this course?The event will benefit anyone working with groups of people in formal or informal settings. Whether a novice starting out, or an experienced facilitator wishing to expand on their techniques, the course will be tailored to the participants’ needs. 100% of the participants of the last course thought it was ‘good’ or ‘excellent’. Facilitated by:Chris ChurchChris Church has worked in the voluntary sector and as a consultant for over 25 years. He is an experienced advisor on community and sustainable development issues, with a wide range of experience at international, national, and community level. He is an associate of the Community Development Foundation and a member of the London Sustainable Development Commission. Chris is chair of the UK Local Carbon Communities Network. Chris has previously worked with the Community Sector Coalition, the National Trust, BTCV, Defra, Groundwork, the European Union TACIS programme, Surfers Against Sewage and many local councils. He is trained as a teacher and has been developing and running training programmes for 22 years. Cost: £395: Business Rate £288: Large Charities, Public Sector and Small Businesses £130: Small Charities and Independent ConsultantsConcessionary rates available for students, pensioners and unemployed. Please contact Anna at anna@talkaction.org.   Bespoke courses can be arranged for groups at a date and location to suit you. Prices include a vegan/vegetarian lunch, fair-trade refreshments and networking time. For bookings and further information, please contact: Talk Action Anna Hughes Tel: 0207 324 4775 Email: anna@talkaction.org The venue is fully accessible with wheelchair-accessible lavatory facilities. Supported by: Environment Job (www.environmentjob.co.uk). See More
Event posted by Jonathan Elliott 5 hours ago
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