Enablers of Change

Have you ever wondered how to do effective introductions in a group? In this episode we thought it was time to explore effective introductions.  See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog  (https://www.enablersofchange.com.au/blog/). 

The learning design dilemma: should learning happen in real time (synchronous) or should people engage with it in their own time and space (asynchronous)? See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog  (https://www.enablersofchange.com.au/blog/). 

We reflect on how far the conversation about GenAI has come, exploring a recent report from the McKinsey Global Institute and what that might mean for us. See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog  (https://www.enablersofchange.com.au/blog/).

Why nagging and repeating advice rarely drives on-farm change and what we as enablers of change can do differently to turn insights into real action. See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog  (https://www.enablersofchange.com.au/blog/).

Have you ever started a project and wished you could tap into the whole world’s research in seconds? In this episode, we’ll share what we’ve learned from using Consensus and how it helps bring research into our work. See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog  (https://www.enablersofchange.com.au/blog/).

What makes digital technologies effective for farmers, using the work of Digital Green as a lens and asking what we can learn from their experience. See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog  (https://www.enablersofchange.com.au/blog/). 

We often find ourselves working in complex systems where change isn’t just about swapping one practice for another, and in this episode we explore that further. See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog  (https://www.enablersofchange.com.au/blog/). 

Here's some simple work hacks to improve our productivity, including how to find books on your bookshelf, plug in USB chargers, and copy and paste text.  See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog  (https://www.enablersofchange.com.au/blog/).

We’re exploring large language models (LLMs) as a tool that can help improve our writing process as enablers of change. LLMs can be a game-changer for us. See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog  (https://www.enablersofchange.com.au/blog/). 

As 2025 draws to a close, we wanted to take a moment to reflect and thank you for your support this year. See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog  (https://www.enablersofchange.com.au/blog/).

Have you ever heard of rubberducking? It's a simple yet powerful technique that can help us understand and explain complex concepts more effectively. If not, stay tuned, as we’ll explain it in this episode. See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog.

We’re still thinking about the Australasia-Pacific Extension Network (APEN) 2025 International Conference held in Brisbane in October and what a great conference it was! See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog.

In this episode, we’re exploring how to effectively influence others’ thinking, without pushing too hard or creating resistance. See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog.

Some people most resistant to new practices may know the least but believe they know the most. This knowledge overconfidence has powerful implications for us. See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog.

We’re revisiting one of our earlier discussions about good practice in extension and today we’re excited to share our updated seven good extension practices!  See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog.

In this episode, we’re exploring heutagogy or learner-directed learning—a powerful approach that puts learners firmly in the driver’s seat.  See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog.

As enablers of change, we can sometimes grapple with a nagging sense of self-doubt. This phenomenon, known as imposter syndrome, can affect even the most accomplished individuals. In this episode, we’ll dig deeper and explore what that means and suggest ways to overcome it. See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog.

We’re exploring some practical resources that are helping us, as extension practitioners: the RiskWi$e project, the eXtensionAUS platform, and the AgriFutures extension practice website. See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog.

We’re exploring two deceptively simple strategies that, when used together, can dramatically improve the quality of group conversations: the Think Pair Share method and the pause.  See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog.

Are you wondering whether artificial intelligence (AI), like ChatGPT, is going to steal our jobs? The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence is certainly going to affect most aspects of our work and home lives, so in this short episode we’re going to explore this further.  See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog.

In this episode, we’re diving into the concept of psychological safety and how it can help us as enablers of change.  See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog. 

We’ve been hearing more and more interest in Communities of Practice (or CoPs) recently, so we thought it would be useful to explore what CoPs are, how and where they might be useful, as well as highlighting some resources. So in this episode we’re going to explore some tips for getting started with CoPs. See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog.

Extension has evolved a great deal over time and has moved from a profession to a recognised discipline with its own frameworks, research, and methodologies.  See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog.

We’re exploring phone calls and their role in our work as enablers of change. As Shakespeare might say, “to phone, or not to phone, that is the question”. See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog.

Today we’re highlighting the differences between risk and uncertainty, and we’ll discuss their significance in the decision-making processes of farmers.  See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog.

We’ll explore how we can pilot potential solutions to foster on-farm innovation and create lasting impact, as a bridge between ideas and real-world application. See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog.

In this episode, we’re diving into one of the most underrated tools we have as extension practitioners: asking questions. It’s easy to get caught up in sharing our technical expertise with farmers, but research shows that the simple act of asking questions—especially follow-up questions—can actually make us more effective at helping farmers improve their practices. See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog.

In this episode, we’re exploring design thinking—a methodology that helps us tackle complex challenges in a structured yet flexible way.  See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog.

In this episode, we’re taking a deep dive into the double diamond process and how it can be used effectively by extension practitioners to enhance on-farm innovation and impact.  See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog.

We’re diving into a project we recently wrapped up, the Australian Extension Capacity and Capability–A Map and a Gap Analysis, funded by AgriFutures Australia. See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog.

As enablers of change, we need to understand the different stages that groups move through. So let’s explore Tuckman's stages of group development. See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog.

In this episode, we’re taking a deep dive into the concept of the Technology Readiness Level and expanding it to explore the Balanced Readiness Level approach. See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog.

We’ve covered lots of content this year and 2024 has been another great year! And we’re also celebrating five years of Enablers of Change! See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog.

What's the difference between best and good practice, which one should we refer to, and why is that important? We then share our top ten good practices. See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog.

In this episode, we’re diving into how ChatGPT can help us as enablers of change to boost both our productivity and the impact of our work. See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog.

We explore a paper that delves into understanding the different changes farmers can make to their systems to adapt to environmental pressures and climate change. See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog.

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is one of the most well-known personality tests in the world. Let's see why it may not be as reliable as many believe.  See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog. 

Understanding the spectrum of feelings can significantly enhance our effectiveness as enablers of change. Sometimes we’re not very good at this, and by “we”, we could mean Australian and New Zealand males in particular! In this episode, we’re going to explore the spectrum of feelings, so we can better describe and understand feelings, and the impact they have in our day-to-day work. See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog.

Perhaps like us, you’ve occasionally wondered about whether there are better ways to make decisions. We’ve often done a quick pros and cons list for example! That’s a pretty straightforward decision making model. But there are others. So in this episode we’re exploring one of these, the Cynefin decision making model. See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog. 

In this episode we’re going to explore infographics and how we can easily create them in six simple steps. See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog.

The 70:20:10 learning framework has gained significant traction in the corporate and educational sectors. Let’s delve into the myths and realities of this framework and understand why it might not be the best approach to learning and development. See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog.

There’s not a lot of practical suggestions on how to apply adult learning principles as enablers of change, so here are seven practical ways to apply them.  See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog.

We recently talked about asking better questions, and shared the idea of a pyramid of question types from Will Wise and Chad Littlefield. Well, we’ve now come across another article about asking questions and thought you might like to hear about its five types of questions. See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog.

Here are some simple work hacks that we hope will save you time. We’ll share our ideas about easy ways to schedule meetings. See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog.

The ability to ask better questions is crucial, particularly in our work as enablers of change. By focusing on the types of questions we ask, we can better explore issues, uncover valuable information and understand the range of options available to us.  See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog.

We’ve recently been hearing how hard it is to get a decent number of responses to a survey. So we wondered whether survey fatigue is really true and what we might do to overcome it.  See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog.

In this episode we’re going to explore some of the alternatives to Jamboard as an online collaboration tool, what we’ve tried and what we’ve decided to keep using. See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog.

Kotter’s eight steps provide a framework for groups and organisations to navigate and implement change effectively. As enablers of change, extension practitioners often play a key role in guiding farmers and other stakeholders through these steps. Let's delve into each step and explore its relevance in our field. See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog.

In this episode, we’re going to discuss AI… not Artificial Intelligence, or even Artificial Insemination, but the other AI, Appreciative Inquiry! We want to unpack what Appreciative Inquiry is and how might we use it in our role as enablers of change. See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog.

What’s the best online platform for workshops? Especially with farmers? Is there any data on this and what’s it telling us? In this episode, we’re going to compare Teams and Zoom, as well as a couple of other platforms that might be worth checking out for online workshops. See all the details and contribute to the discussion over at our blog.