HOST: For This Conference	The Facilities for the 41st Midwest Facilitation Conference are provided by Chicago Indoor Racing, 301 Hastings Drive, Buffalo Grove, IL 60089, http://www.chicagoindoorracing.com For directions and a map to the area: http://www.chicagoindoorracing.com/directions.asp
SPONSOR: MG Rush	An Offer & Challenge for MFN Members In 2005 MG Rush (a division of Morgan Madison & Company) became sponsor of MFN events. For 2006, MG Rush will award one complimentary seat in a future 5-day FAST Professional Facilitation Workshop Course (a $2,750 value) to someone who has attended all three MFN conferences for the year. The prize will be transferable and the winner will be selected at the December 2006 Gala Holiday Celebration. http://www.mgrush.com
SPONSOR: Nightingale Conant	Since 1993, Nightingale-Conant (Niles, Illinois) has been a most significant contributing sponsor to MFN providing the vast majority of door prizes. Nightingale-Conant is the largest producer and distributor of instructional and motivational audio and video tapes for Personal and Business Development, Wealth Building, Sales, Mind Technology, Health & Wellness and Spiritual Growth. Nightingale-Conant also provides Coaching Services and has a full-service Speakers' Bureau. Please visit their website at: http://www.nightingale.com
SPONSOR: University Associates	Since 1993, University Associates, has been another significant sponsor and supporter of MFN activities, providing products and a number of high-value door prizes, such as tuition-free seats in their workshops. Please visit their website at: http://www.universityassociates.com
Conference Fees	Early Registration Discount (by 10/11) - Full Conference: $110 - Half Day $75 Late Conference Registration (after 10/11) - Full Conference: $125 - Half Day $80 On-Site Conference Registration (10/16) - Full Conference: $135 - Half Day $85 Now accepting all major credit cards: (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover/Novus, Diner's Club) Fee includes Conference, Materials, Continental Breakfast & Lunch.  Fee Does NOT include Lodging (see suggestions below). Cancellations after 10/11 or no shows may be assessed a cancellation fee
5 Ways to Register	Click Here to go to Registration Information Page Online: http://www.midwest-facilitators.net/registeronline [You may register one or more participants online with one transaction] Phone: (773) 463-2288 - Press the "2" key and leave message with company name, payment info and the name, phone # and email address for each registrant. Fax: (773)-463-9322 - Fax completed registration form with payment information for each registrant. E-Mail: register@midwest-facilitators.net - E-mail completed registration form with payment information and subject: 'MFN Conference Registration'. Snail-mail: Mail completed registration form with payment information to: MFN c/o Jordan-Webb, 2656 W Montrose Ave,  Suite 110, Chicago, IL 60618. On-Site: On-Site Registration and payment ($135.00) is subject to availability.
On-Line Information	Chicago, IL Information Websites: Weather Information - http://www.weather.com/weather/local/60601 City of Chicago - http://www.cityofchicago.org  or  http://www.ci.chi.il.us City Search for Chicago - http://www.chicago.citysearch.com  World Web Travel Guide - http://www.chicago.worldweb.com Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau - http://www.choosechicago.com All About Chicago - http://www.allabout-chicago.com AreaGuides.Net - http://chicago.areaguides.net Chicago Tribune - http://www.chicagotribune.com Chicago Sun-Times - http://www.suntimes.com Chicago Reader - http://www.chireader.com Navy Pier - http://www.navypier.com Wendella Boat Rides - http://www.wendellaboats.com Mercury Boat Cruises - http://centerstage.net/other/mercury-boat-cruises.html Daily Herald - http://www.dailyherald.com Chicago Public Library - http://cpl.lib.uic.edu Fun Places to Go With Kids - http://www.FunPlacesToGoWithKids.com Ken Schessler's America/Chicago Tours - http://members.aol.com/KSchessler/wizzk.html Palmer's Walking Guide - http://www.palmersguide.com/chicago Sears Tower - http://www.searstower.com Museum of Science & Industry - http://www.msichicago.org Field Museum of Natural History - http://www.fmnh.org Shedd Aquarium - http://www.sheddnet.org Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum - http://www.adlerplanetarium.org Art Institute of Chicago - http://www.artic.edu Museum of Contemporary Art - http://www.mcachicago.org Chicago Historical Society - http://www.chicagohs.org Chicago Children's Museum - http://www.chichildrensmuseum.org Morton Arboretum - http://www.mortonarb.org Chicago Botanic Garden - http://www.chicago-botanic.org Chicago Architecture - http://www.yelodog.com Chicago's Greektown - http://www.chicagosgreektown.com Chicago's Chinatown - http://www.chicagochinatown.net Musicals - http://dir.yahoo.com/Arts/Performing_Arts/Theater/Musicals/Shows/Chicago Theater - http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/U_S__States/Illinois/Cities/Chicago/Entertainment_and_Arts/Theater Chicago White Sox - http://www.whitesox.com Chicago Cubs - http://www.cubs.com
Meals	Continental breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack are included in the Conference fee.  Participants with special dietary needs contact David De Witt: david.dewitt@dsc-logistics.com
Dress Code	Business Casual.

Monday, October 16, 2006

To start out a great day, Brandy Agerbeck, who first visited MFN at the January Conference, has an extraordinary ability to listen with her hands! Brandy creates a unique graphic as individuals and groups speak. The graphic has a powerful way of articulating issues that then stimulate the discussion in fresh and surprising ways. There is a lot written these days about building models and prototyping rapidly to stimulate innovative communication. Brandy's gift does just that!

In this program, Graphic facilitator Brandy Agerbeck will introduce graphic facilitation, its benefits and its best practices. She will also introduce some beginner techniques that will help you integrate the visual into your work. Graphic facilitation is the practice of using words and images to create a conceptual map of a conversation. It focuses the group as they work, aiding concentration by capturing and organizing their ideas. Everyone can watch their ideas take shape - a powerful tool of recognition, transparency and accomplishment for group work.

---

Brandy Agerbeck (Loosetooth.com) Chicago, Illinois http://www.loosetooth.com (back to agenda)

Brandy Agerbeck is a Chicago artist and designer who works in a variety of mediums. For more information visit: http://www.loosetooth.com

(back to agenda)

 

Chicago Indoor Racing is one of Chicago's most exiting learning and entertainment complexes. Housed in its 86,000 square foot facility are state of the art conference and meeting rooms, a bar and restaurant featuring an array of award winning culinary delights, full catering facilities and capabilities, alternate gaming and billiards, and of course, two professionally designed Indoor European Kart Racing Tracks.

Participants are divided into teams with all members participating. Groups must use teamwork, creative problem solving and communication skills to be successful, as all races, without exception, are won and lost in the "Pits" during driver changes.

Teams must work together to determine the driving order and division of track time, driver lineups, and the timing of their pit stops. Each team must complete preset amount of a designated stops and driver changes, and must assist each other with equipment to ensure that the next driver "on deck" is suited up and ready to race. Teams may nominate "non-driver" roles for those that do not wish sit in the driver's seat, but who want to assist in organization- often a vital role in the success of any team.

The team completing the most number of laps within the given time period will be declared the winner. At the end of the race, CIR will present post race analysis to the top three teams based upon a criteria determined by the Event Organizer and CIR.

Drivers over the age of eighteen will be able to race wheel to wheel in specially designed Indoor Racing Karts that are able to provide a real sense of the thrill and excitement, until now only experienced by professional racing drivers. Participants will be divided into teams with team members participating in various roles, including non-driving support roles. Teams will have to use creative problem solving and communication skills to be successful, as all races, without exception, are won or lost in the "Pits" during driver changes. The CIR staff will facilitate the pre-race orientation on procedures, equipment and safety. Each racing guest will receive fitted safety equipment.

This is not your typical go-cart racing! Check out http://www.chicagoindoorracing.com to get a flavor of this fantastic facility in Buffalo Grove. Corporate groups are flocking to the track for spirited fun and incentive events and also for some serious team building experiences.

Don't worry if you don't want to drive! So much of the experience is in the pit, so there is plenty to do without sitting behind the wheel. Moreover, you may attend an alternate session at this time pesented by Dr Wayne Stone - Pre-flighting Your Client's Strategy and Preparing for the Unexpected - See Below

 

---

Chicago Indoor Racing (CIR) Staff Buffalo Grove, IL www.chicagoindoorracing.com (back to agenda)

The CIR Staff...

(back to agenda)

---

Post-race De-briefing and Analysis by Midwest Facilitation Network Board Members (back to agenda)

MFN board members will facilitate post-race debriefing exercises, taking a look at manifestations of healthy and unhealthy competition within the race and within organizations.

.

(back to agenda)

.

.

---

MFN Board Chicago, IL http://www.midwest-facilitators.net (back to agenda)

.

.

.

.

The MFN Board....

(back to agenda)

.

---

Prologue - Racing as a Metaphor for Teambuilding in Organizations by Anthony "Tony" Stewart - Founder, Chicago Indoor Racing (back to agenda)

The owner of Chicago Indoor Racing has agreed to be part of our program! Tony Stewart has developed a blockbusting business in this unique track and has great insights on today's innovative business challenges using a racing metaphor.

Without trying to put too much into a description, racing is dynamic - every lap is different and no two races are the same. There are numerous parallels to the Corporate World. To be successful you have to be innovative and prepared to seize opportunities as and when they present themselves. Some of these opportunities can be anticipated by following another driver and watching for mistakes/driving patterns that can be capitalized upon, others appear in an instant as one driver makes a mistake and you have to react quickly enough to capitalize on that mistake without becoming part of the consequence!

That said, you need to drive within the laws of physics - innovation behind the wheel will not be enough to get you around a corner in defiance of the basic laws of physics! One driver will often reel in another very quickly and then sit right on his tail, unable to pass. This is simply because he didn't plan where and when to catch up with his adversary; he simply got there as fast as he could and then decided to started to figure out how to pass him. The problem is, his speed will often be dictated by the driver in front as he sits on his tail, brakes when he brakes, skids when he skids and is always on the gas just that little bit later. Furthermore, if the pursuing driver attempts a pass that really isn't on he has shown his hand and the driver in front will often adopt a defensive strategy, thus making the job of passing even harder.

What really needs to happen in racing, as in business, is a planned attack; adjust your closing speed in order that you catch the driver (or competition) at a point on the track (or in the market) where you are confident that you can pass. Once in a position to make the pass, in the words of NIKE, "just do it", don't hesitate or falter or the pass will likely fail. It's all about recognizing/anticipating the window of opportunity (before it opens), having the resources to take advantage of the opportunity (speed/track position) and then committing to the plan before the window of opportunity slams shut in your face.

Furthermore, just because a window of opportunity opens, it does not automatically follow that you are in a position to take advantage of it - many drivers have neither the track position or speed to take advantage of an opportunity yet cannot resist the temptation and subsequently botch the move that was never a realistic opportunity given their available resources (speed/track position).

It doesn't take long to realize that the parallels are numerous and thought provoking.

---

Anthony "Tony" Stewart - Founder Chicago Indoor Racing Buffalo Grove, IL www.chicagoindoorracing.com (back to agenda)

.

.

.

.

Anthony "Tony" Stewart.....

.

.

.

Pre-flighting Your Client's Strategy and Preparing for the Unexpected by Wayne Stone - (Leadership Action Strategies - Barrington, IL) (back to agenda)

 

Any pilot or aircraft technician will tell you that the key to any successful flight is the pre-flight inspection. But even before the pre-flight, many hours are spent performing periodic maintenance, checking on components that need to be replaced, fine-tuning the aircraft systems, and planning for the “unknown, unknowns.”

When you engage a client, you may not specifically be doing strategic planning. But, your ability to quickly diagnose their strategic plan will provide you with valuable insights into how comprehensively and critically they have looked at themselves, their environment, their competitors, and their resources. You won’t be able to help them launch their mission if they haven’t built a strong, competitive plan that helps them scope and focus on their goals. A “strategic pre-flight” will give you and your client a common basis for understanding what they are about and what you can offer them.

This workshop will help you learn to evaluate whether or not an organization has answered the key questions in preparing for the future. Additionally, it will help you develop a “strategic pre-flight checklist” that will ensure that you both are able to focus on issues critical to mission accomplishment and prepare for change.

---

Wayne Stone Leadership Action Strategies Barrington, IL (back to agenda)

Dr. Wayne Stone is currently President of Leadership Action StrategiesTM which  focuses on consulting and training for senior leaders on effective strategic leadership, organizational effectiveness measurement, quality, and employee empowerment.  He has experience in industrial management, aerospace, higher education leadership, banking and sales.  Most recently, he was VP of Planning, Quality and Organizational Development at Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove, IL.  As Director of Plans and Operations at the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) in Dayton, OH he consulted widely within the Department of Defense (DoD), local governments, and other organizations on strategic planning and execution, leadership, quality, employee empowerment, and organizational restructuring. He has spoken before a presidential commission on creating organizational cohesiveness and advised the office of DoD Comptroller on implementation of the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993.  He is an advisor on quality and accreditation issues for the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association and acts as a Strategy Forum Facilitator and Systems Portfolio Review team leader for the Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP).  He is a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel with many years experience in aircraft maintenance and worldwide logistics management.

 

---

MindSights’ Consultants On-Demand – Facilitated Thinking Technology Dennis Heindl (Nth Degree Software Solutions - Greendale, WI) (back to agenda)

MindSights is a unique suite of workforce development products that amplify natural thinking abilities. This Facilitated Thinking Technology improves the thinking productivity of knowledge-workers in much the same way that the assembly line improved the labor productivity of manual-workers. This session will examine selected applications from MindSights’ Consultants On-demand” application suite. 

These “thinklet”-driven applications function like hired consultants who deliver advice by asking the right questions, recommending the right tools, and offering successful methods and insights.  For example, a person can take Six-Sigma training that lasts 10 to 20 days, over a 2 to 4 month period, at costs ranging up to $40K.  Alternatively, they can immediately begin to use the Six-Sigma “Consultant On-demand” product that emulates the knowledge, skills and abilities of a Six-Sigma black belt and be continuously mentored in Six-Sigma as though they gone through the training.

Another example would be in the area of Strategic Planning.  Strategic planning is the process of determining your business/organization’s long-term vision or goals and how to fulfill them. Its purpose is to provide a framework for decision making on what short/long-term actions are important to achieve organizational success.  The MindSights agenda follows a six step (task) process that uses strategic planning tools, techniques and questions commonly asked by skilled planners.  Since every situation is different, it is not necessary to answer every question or complete every template, but options are there for one to choose paths that best fit planning needs.  Yet another example would be the MBA Mentor, a 425-page hypertext database containing 175 thinklets and over 500 key facilitator questions (condensed from over 25,000 pages of research materials).

Thinklets are organized in ways to quickly help you find the right question to ask or tool to use. In many ways, they are like a small wikipedia.  Thinklets are cognitive tools that can be as simple as a power question, a small template/worksheet, or a thinking technique. The difference between a Thinklet vs. a Template/Worksheet is thinklets are designed with embedded intelligence, typically facilitator questions. A template now becomes a “mentor” that helps guide the user.  The goal is to embed as much of a human consultant into thinklets as possible.

 

---

Dennis Heindl Nth Degree Software Solutions Greendale, WI www.nthdegreesoft.com (back to agenda)

 

 

 

 

Dennis Heindl is a systems designer specializing in development of problem-solving and cognitive software. In 2001, he founded Nth Degree Software, Inc. on the vision that technology is central to enhancing human thinking potential. Supported by a rare grant from the US Department of Education, his company's revolutionary 'facilitated-thinking environment' software is now starting to get recognition. The company's recently completed flagship product, called MindSights, is also being well received in the marketplace.   Prior to founding Nth Degree, Mr. Heindl had 30 years of multi-disciplined business work experiences with AT&T and Ameritech. Mr. Heindl received an MBA degree from the University Wisconsin - Milwaukee, and an undergraduate degree from Marquette University. For more information visit: http://www.nthdegreesoft.com

 

(back to agenda)

 

---

(Location / Conference Agenda / Conference Information / Travel Suggestions/ Lodging Suggestions)
(About the Presentations / MFN Contacts / Upcoming Events/Notices / Registration Information)
Top Conference Announcement  /  Back to MFN Home Page