Program History

The quality of BFR programs keeps members coming back year after year. Take a look at our topics just in the past few years: 20242023, 2022, 2021, 20202019; 2018;  201720162015201420132012201120102009. All programs are chock-full of content. We have posted several program summaries - see the bolded links below.

2024
  1. Mindshare: Going Out on Your Own, February - presenters: Steve Frigand, Brian McDonald, Katherine Golub
  2. Spirituality in Your Work, February 
  3. The Role of Coaching in Organizational Change - Brian Gorman, March
  4. What's your TED talk or keynote?  April
  5. Thought Leadership: How to Impact your Practice or Your Business; presenters:  Ed Evarts, Sue Harvey, Katherine Golum, Lee Levitt, May 
  6. The Keys to Being a Compelling Speaker - John Henny, June
  7. Let's Get Experiential!  June; several presenters:  Melissa Halstead, Jeff Boudro, Margaret Moore, Abby Yanow - June
  8. Bookshare:  Professional Careers by Design, Dr. Sharon Hull, July 

2023
  1. Feb. 16 Helping Teams Find Alignment, Beth Shapiro
  2. Feb. 28 Mindshare, Creating a Learning Culture
  3. March 13, How to move from issues to actions, HUE
  4. March 17  Meet n Greet for New Members
  5. March 23 Building inclusive hybrid meetings: tips for facilitators, Nancy Settle Murphy
  6. March 27Mindshare: "Working Out Loud" Method
  7. April 12 Intro to Org. Design, Laurie Dermody and Susannah Robinson
  8. April 24 Mindshare: Why do leaders hesitate to commit to change?
  9. May 9 Rethinking How We Learn Together: The Principles Of Emergent Learning, Marilyn Darling
  10. June 6 Mindshare - Developing Norms for Leadership Teams
  11. June 13 Introduction To Systems-Centered Theory And Methods, Susan Lange
  12. June 20 Breaking The Ice After Covid - Icebreakers!
  13. July 31 Mindshare: Rebuilding Trust in Organizations
2022
  1. Feb. 16 Helping Teams Find Alignment, Beth Shapiro
  2. Feb. 28 Mindshare, Creating a Learning Culture
  3. March 13, How to move from issues to actions, HUE
  4. March 17  Meet n Greet for New Members, Abby
  5. March 23 Building inclusive hybrid meetings: tips for facilitators, Nancy Settle Murphy
  6. March 27 – Mindshare
  7. April 12 Intro to Org. Design, Laurie Dermody and Susannah Robinson
  8. April 24 Mindshare
  9. May 9 Rethinking How We Learn Together: The Principles Of Emergent Learning, Marilyn Darling
  10. June 2 Applied Psychological Safety, Michelle Kempskie
  11. June 13 Introduction To Systems-Centered Theory And Methods, Susan Lange
  12. June 20 Breaking The Ice After Covid - Icebreakers!

2021

  1. Dec. 8 The Enneagram Part 2 - For Teams, Lynn Rousseau
  2. Dec. 3 The Emotional Rollercoaster Of Change, Rosanne Essiambre
  3. Nov. 5 The Enneagram Part 1 - For Individuals, Lynn Rousseau
  4. Oct. 27 Use Of Self: Increase Your Effectiveness With Clients, Abby and Jan and NPF orgn.
  5. Oct. 7 Tapping The Power Of Poetry & Stories, multiple presenters
  6. Sept. 30 New Member Networking, Abby
  7. Sept. 9, The Wise Advocate: The Inner Voice Of Strategic Leadership, Art Kleiner
  8. July 29,  Summer Social/ “You Design”
  9. June 23, Discussion: Activities About Triggers
  10. June 16, DEI And Applied Improv, Samantha Watson (from MAFN)
  11. May 28, Best Practices For Leading DEI Initiatives: panel with Mary Grimes Finley, Senior OD Consultant, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care; Karen Young, formerly Chief Inclusion Officer at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care; Jackie Glenn, formerly VP, Global Chief Diversity Officer at Dell/EMC
  12. April 29, Staying Connected: What’s Emerging For You? Abby
  13. April 15, How To Keep Remote Teams Motivated And Engaged; panel with Shauna Moore, BAE, Sr. Director of Finance; Liz Webster, Boston College, Director of Annual Giving Programs; Vandy Densmore, Community Intervention Services, Chief HR Officer
  14. April 1, Networking Event
  15. March 25, Deep Democracy: First Aid For Conflict, Maya Townsend and Lauren Powers
  16. March 4, Using Applied Improv To Address Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion, Sheree Galpert  
  17. Feb. 18 Facilitating Decision Making Using Mural Lauren Green And Brian Tarallo (from MAFN)
  18. Jan. 22, Open Space: Co-Creators And Curious Colleagues, Abby
2020
  1. Dealing With Difficult People? Sure!, Lee Bolman
  2. Team Leadership: Teaching Leaders How To Better Bring Their Teams Along; Liz O'Connor and Strategy Matters Team
  3. Guiding Groups To Achieve Consensus, Nancy Settle Murphy
  4. New Rules For Wome, Anne Litwin
  5. Designing for Collaboration And Engagement In Virtual Programs, Abby Yanow
  6. Staying Connected, Abby Yanow
  7. Developing Leadership Development Programs, Gabriella LaMonica, Vicki Tardino, Laurie Dermody
  8. Entering the New Normal, Sheree Galpert and Abby Yanow
  9. Keys To Navigating Change Post-Pandemic, Sue Harvey
  10. Virtual Improv: Bring Engagement & Interactivity into Your Online Meetings, Izzy Gesell
  11. Designing Engagement In Virtual Programs Using Adobe Connect, Abby Yanow
  12. Integrated Experience Design, Gary David
  13. Leadership Amplified, Mary Lippitt
  14. Reframing Organizations, Lee Bolman
  15. Using Improv to Promote DEI, Sheree Galpert
  16. Experience Based leadership Development, Vicki Tardino
2019
  1. Jan:  Inspired Teams, Steve Wolff
  2. Feb.:  System Centered Training, Alida Zweidler McKay
  3. March: Masterful Facilitation: Discover the strengths of your unique style, Moe Poirier
  4. April: Strategy Matters Model For Coaching A Client From Strategic Planning To Implementation, Liz O’Connor and Strategy Matters staff
  5. May: Collaborative Coaching with Executive Directors, Facilitator: Abby Yanow
  6. June: Adult Development, Chris Wahl
  7. October:  Somatic Presence: The Body As Portal To Transformation, Judy Cohen
  8. Nov: The System as Client: How To Help Teams Create Better Working Relationships, Beth Shapiro and Lina Foster
  9. Dec: Identifying Your Unique Value, Facilitator: Abby Yanow
  10. Dec: Holiday Party!
20182017
  • The Heart of Team Coaching,  Daphe Woolfolk.  Jan. virtual program.
  • OD in Action, Martha Miser and Anna Tansi, Feb.
  • Change Leadership Effectiveness:  Achieving the benefits of strategic initiatives, Kimberlee Williams, March webinar.
  • Revealing Blindspots: Using InSight Mapping to Uncover What’s Hidden, Allison Whitmire, April
  • Collaborative Coaching with directors of the May Institute, May
  • LMAP,  Leadership Multi-rater Assessment of Personality, Ron Warren, June.
  • Resonant Leadership Through Emotional Intelligence: Inspiring Us to Be Our Best, Richard Boyatzis, Sept.
  • Coaching in Organizations, Peter Bregman, Sept. virtual program.
  • Fast Track to Getting the Results you Want, Jeb Bates and Carol Salloway, Oct.
  • Consulting Skills in a Changing World, Martha Miser and Anna Tansi, Nov.
  • Pearls of Learning and Structured Networking, Dec.

2016
2015
  • Using Storytelling in Coaching, Steve Ober, Jan.
  • Shift Your Point of View, Kim Dakin Neale, Feb. 
  • Women Working Together,  Anne Litwin about her book, Feb. webinar. 
  • Applying Aikido Principles to Conflict Resolution, Judy Ringer, April
  • Public Narrative, Deb Ullman,  May 
  • Change Management, panel with Jay Spitulnik, Mary Ellen McCourt and Laurel Martino. June.
  • Facilitating Cliffhanger Moments, Perry Carrison, Rick Lent. August.
  • Getting to “Now What?”, Dorothy Strachan, Sept. webinar.
  • Building Stakeholder Engagement Through Your Meetings, Rick Lent, Oct.
  • Clear Leadership, Carol Salloway and Janet Britcher.  Dec.

2014

2013
  • Webinar: Larry Dressler, "Standing in the Fire" (Jan 11, 2013)
  • Webinar: Gervase Bushe: Clear Leadership (Jan 18, 2013)
  • Developing Your Unique Value (Jan 30, 2013)
  • The High-Velocity Edge (Feb 1, 2013)
  • BFR Storytelling Lab (Feb 27, 2013)
  • Handling Difficult-to-Discuss Conversations: Understanding our Frames as OD Consultant, w/ Mike Halperin (Mar 1, 2013)
  • Merging Cultures: Part 2, w/ Anne Litwin (Apr 5, 2013)
  • Mt. Everest Simulation, w/ Deborah Soule & Michael Roberto (May 3, 2013)
  • Larry Dressler Workshop: Standing in the Fire (May 15, 2013)
  • When Conflict Happens to Good Work, w/ Eben Weizman (Jun 7, 2013)
  • Team Coaching,w/  Alexander Caillet (Sep 13, 2013)
  • Consultation with Non-Profit Directors (Oct 4, 2013)
  • Inspiration from the best of TED talks! , w/ Michael Madera (Oct 29, 2013)
  • Practiced Spontaneity: Improv’s Gifts to Facilitation, w/ Izzy Gessell (Nov 8, 2013)
  • Collaborative Decision Making in the Virtual Environment/ Loomio (Dec 6, 2013)

2012
  • Peer Learning cohorts: Org. Culture Change, Facilitating School Systems, Leadership Development, Network Analysis
  • Theory into Action (Feb 3, 2012)
  • Using NVC to Stay Present w/ Scott Loring and Carol Salloway (Mar 2, 2012)
  • Team Coaching w/ Alexander Caillet (Apr 6, 2012)
  • Know What You Don’t Know: How can leaders become effective problem-finders? w/ Michael Roberto
  • Changing the Discourse (Jun 8, 2012)
  • Merging Cultures: Part I, w/ Anne Litwin (Sep 7, 2012)
  • Webinar: Paul Levy: Goal Play, Leadership Lessons from the Soccer Field (Sep 21, 2012)
  • Consultation with Non-Profits (Oct 12, 2012)
  • Graphic Facilitation, w/ Debra Vinci (Nov 2, 2012)
  • Unleash your Inner Storyteller (Dec 14, 2012)
2011
  • Turning Autopilot Off: Decision Making as Science and Art (Feb 4, 2011)
  • Metaphors: Facilitators’ Power Tool  w/ Janet Britcher and Perry Carrison (Apr 1, 2011)
  • Team Coaching w/ Alexander Caillet (May 6, 2011)
  • The “Knowledge Jam” w/Kate Pugh (Jun 3, 2011)
  • Advanced Facilitation Peer Learning series (Aug 3, 2011)
  • The Bigger Game (Aug 5, 2011)
  • Discover Your Unique Value (Sep 23, 2011)
  • How Resistance Can be the Consultant’s Best Friend w/ Sonia Nevis (Nov 4, 2011)
  • Social and Value Network Analysis (Dec 2, 2011)

2010

  • “Facilitation Gone Bad”: Turning Challenges into Gifts of Learning (Feb 5, 2010)
  • The Courage to Break Through: Creative Practices in Facilitation (Apr 2, 2010)
  • Running Virtual Meetings, Nancy Settle Murphy (May 7, 2010)
  • Conflict Management, Jan Williams and Chuck Phillips (Jun 4, 2010)
  • Facilitating Meetings from Hell: Using SAVI to Understand and Transform Dysfunctional Communication (Aug 6, 2010)
  • Personal Branding, Alesia Latson (Oct 1, 2010)
  • You Get What you Measure (Nov 5, 2010)
  • High Stakes Conversations (Dec 3, 2010)
2009
  • Developing YOU! (Aug 7, 2009)
  • The Organization Workshop w/ Sophie Parker and Anne Litwin(Oct 2, 2009)
  • Fun Day at the BFR!  Janet Britcher, Nina Coil, Alan Niebanck & Perry Carrison (Nov 6, 2009)
  • Play the Blues/ Facilitation w/Rob Fletcher(Dec 4, 2009)