By Michelle Cooper RN, MScN
Michelle Cooper of Integral Visions Consulting Inc. is an international consultant dedicated to help individuals and organizations to achieve effectiveness and health through facilitation, consultation, coaching, and mentoring. Michelle has been working with the Genuine Contact Program since its inception and is an authorized trainer.

Healthy workplaces are a hot topic nationally in Canada and the “next big idea” in organizational development. In 2000, Canada’s Healthy Workplace Week was launched to remind Canadian businesses about the increasing urgency to address workplace health and the positive effects that healthy workplaces can have. Workplace health has even received attention from the World Health Organization (WHO) because of the impact on the health of communities.

By Birgitt Williams

Our friend and colleague Shaari Kamil from Hawaii introduced us to ‘Nordic Walking’. The health benefits are incredible and we now highly recommend this form of walking to you for your increasing health and balance. Walking has been proven beneficial to health and balance. Even a twenty minute brisk walk daily will make a noticeable difference. Now imagine getting 40% more value from your walk. Simply use Nordic Walking sticks on your walk. They look like cross country ski poles but have rubberized tips. There is no training required. Start walking with a stick in each hand and you will develop your own rhythm for walking with your sticks. Your ‘walk’ will now provide you with upper body strengthening and strengthening of your core. After a few weeks, you will find that you have better muscle tone. The benefits are great and if you already walk a little every day, this will be a way to improve your health and balance without adding time to your day.

Genuine Contact Mentoring Circle
May 31^st 2006 in Switzerland. Contact Urs Baumgartner, SIGNA AG for details.

14^th Annual Open Space on Open Space (OSonOS)
August 4-6, 2006 in Moscow, Russia. Contact Raffi Aftandelian for details and registration information.

German Speaking Genuine Contact Mentoring Circle
August 24-25, 2006 in Germany. Contact Myriam Mathys for details.

German Speaking Genuine Contact Trainers Meeting
August 26-27, 2006 in Germany. Contact Myriam Mathys for details.

Genuine Contact International Trainers Meeting
September 26-27, 2006 in Raleigh, North Carolina. A 2-day conference for all certified trainers in the Genuine Contact Program. Visit our website for details.

Genuine Contact International Mentoring Circle
September 28-29, 2006 in Raleigh, North Carolina. A 2-day conference for anyone who has participated in the Genuine Contact Program, has learned about Open Space Technology, or is interested in learning more about our holistic approach. Visit our website for details.

Annual Scandinavian Genuine Contact Trainers Mentoring Circle
October 27-28, 2006 in Stockholm, Sweden. Contact Ann Bowman for details.

Genuine Contact Mentoring Circle
November 15^th 2006 in Switzerland. Contact Marianne Gerber, SONETZ for details.

Would you like to see your event or conference listed here? If so, contact Rachel Assuncao at rassuncao@musango.ca with the details.

By Birgitt Williams

Megatrends and Megatrends 2000, which Patricia Aburdene co-authored, predicted changes in business accurately including the shift to the power of High Tech/High Touch. In Megatrends 2010, Aburdene addresses the massive change that the business world is undergoing now in which the public is compelling business to demonstrate ethics, trust, and integrity. She refers to this as the rise of Conscious Capitalism and makes a case that in the future, it will not be business as it is usually done today. In this book, Aburdene tells the reader how to capitalize on the changes ahead with a blend of meaning, morals, self-mastery, and bottom line economics. She describes the power of conscious techniques to enhance productivity. And she shows that socially responsible and green funds often ourperform mainstream mutual funds.

We recommend this book to all who are interested in a well done book on making the business case for a holistic approach to business success.

Megatrends 2010: The Rise of Conscious Capitalism, Author: Patricia Aburdene, Hampton Roads Publishing Company, 2005.

Maureen McCarthy and Zelle Nelson are pleased to offer their State of Grace workshop September 30 and October 1, 2006.

The workshop will be held at their home in the mountains in Flat Rock, North Carolina and is immediately following the Genuine Contact International Mentoring Circle in Raleigh, North Carolina.

For further information and registration details visit the State of Grace Website.

In every issue, we feature one drawing from our Genuine Contact™ program workshops by Reinhard Kuchenmueller, Visuelle Protokolle, Munich Germany. Reinhard did these drawings when he attended our workshops, drawing quickly and reflecting the learnings with an accuracy and an eye that delighted other participants. Reinhard is available to groups as a visual facilitator trained in the Genuine Contact™ Program. For more info about him and his work go to www.visuelle-protokolle.de. Click on the image for an enlarged version of the artwork.