Talk Matters!
Saving the World One Word at a Time; Solving Complex Issues Through Brain Science, Mindful Awareness and Effective Process
by Mary V. Gelinas

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We create the present and future in our meetings and conversations every day. What can we do to increase the likelihood that we’re creating a future that we all want? We can start by talking more constructively and productively about what matters to us all. After decades of advising groups in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors, process design and facilitation expert Mary V. Gelinas has integrated her best knowledge of brain and behavioral sciences, mindful awareness, and effective process to create Talk Matters! Her eight essential practices offer us ways to avoid getting hijacked by our survival instincts, engage with people who differ from us, and open ourselves, our businesses, and our communities to real, lasting change. As she explains, good process can help us work better together to do good things for the world. In this highly readable and accessible book, Gelinas uses real-world examples to illustrate the practices that can help you start achieving life-serving results in your interactions as a leader, participant, or facilitator today.

www.gelinasjames.com

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“Gelinas provides a deeply optimistic and pragmatic perspective for dealing with the complex challenges of our time. If you are seeking a practical source of hope and guidance to make a difference, this book is for you. Whether at home, in community, or at work, be prepared to be energized and equipped to lead the way in facing intractable challenges.” — Peggy Holman, author of Engaging Emergence and co-author of The Change Handbook “Talk Matters! is an important book for our times, weaving profound wisdom with practical tools, supporting our understanding and the courage required to more fully meet ourselves and each other for the purpose of making the world a better place.” — Marc Lesser, CEO of Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute and author of Know Yourself, Forget Yourself “Leaders, managers, and public officials, activists and organizers: heed the lessons of this inspiring book! Many of our organizations and institutions are stuck in old paradigms and destructive communication patterns. Mary Gelinas invites us to imagine institutions build on the value of “we are in this together.” Drawing on new brain science and organizational development insights, Gelinas offers us the tools to transform ourselves and our institutions.” —Chuck Collins, Senior Scholar, Institute for Policy Studies, and author of 99 to 1: How Wealth Inequality is Wrecking the World and What You Can Do About It

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Mary V. Gelinas, Ed.D., has been working as an educator, consultant, process designer, and facilitator for forty years. She is a managing director of Gelinas James, Inc., and co-director of the Cascadia Center for Leadership. With her partner Roger James, she has developed pioneering and transformative approaches to leading, creating change, planning, and solving complex problems. She lives in Arcata, California.

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Contributors

Author

Mary V. Gelinas

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