Robyn Stratton-Berkessel

Blogger, Brainstormer, Change Agent, Connector, Designer, Global soul, Idea generator, Photographer, Student

Proud to say I am now a TEDx speaker. My talk, "Playful Inquiry- Try this Anywhere" http://tedxnavesink.com/project/robyn-stratton-berkessel-2/ was so well received at TEDxNavesink on May 10, 2014. My idea worth spreading - when we open ourselves up to others, our sense of self/other overlaps, a host of positivity is released and we become the true co-creators in this world that we truly are. As an agent of positive change, my strengths are designing ways to engage people in creating their own desirable futures. I am in the business of maximizing human and organizational potential in a variety of capacities: teaching communications at university, developing and leading sales teams, leading a training and development consultancy practice serving global clients, and establishing my own firm in 1992. The focus of my work is all about releasing the human spirit through the power of participation, engagement and collaboration and my approach to innovation and leadership is founded in the principles of Appreciative Inquiry and Open Space Technology. I work in partnerships across functional, political, cultural, and geographic boundaries, collaboratively designing ways to energize people and their enterprise by uncovering their existing strengths and discovering their system's positive core. Outcomes are extraordinary personal breakthroughs, resulting in energized enterprises where members become more mindful, engaged and caring of their relationships and performance. I'm a graduate of the University of Sydney and with a masters of organizational systems, Monash University, Melbourne, and many other certifications, including Case's AI and Positive Business and Society Change Progam. I am committed to continuous learning and development and sharing what works. My website and blog is http://positivematrix.com I am excited to have a book, Appreciative Inquiry for Collaborative Solutions: 21 Strength-based Workshops coming out March, 2010, published by Pfeiffer, an Imprint of Wiley. I have been living just outside New York, USA with my wonderful husband, Juergen and adorable cat, Neo since 2000 and would be very happy to hear from you at robyn@positivematrix.com .

celebrating life & our global interconnectedness, participatory tools and processes; the positive application of social media; our evolving human consciousness and spirit, positive states of discovery

Love and joy spread love and joy - kindness and caring come back to us many times over.

Design Practice and Methodology, Facilitiating Dialogues, Discussion, Inquiry, Consciousness, Group Process, Leadership at all levels, Learning and Development, Participatory Design, Participatory Philosophy, Cooperative Inquiry, Nonprofit Develop, Positivity & Humanity, Strategy Development

My personal connection with TED began when I participated in TEDIndia, 2009 in Mysore. The conference was outstanding as it was a good mix of talks from many Indians, Europeans, Americans with a global message. In 2013, I volunteered for a local TEDxNavesink and will continue into our second TEDxNavesink for May 2014. My role is to help identify speakers and help design and curate talks for the conference. I am very excited to make such a contribution. It gives me great joy to do this and work with an awesome team of people to make this happen for a second time in our community.