Switzer Fall retreats - new fellows, communication skills and networks

Once again it was thrilling exciting and fun to meet the new 2012 Switzer Fellows, and share leadership lessons, current topics and engage in a deep learning experience about communicating clear messages to different audiences. We are fortunate to have engaged COMPASS to lead our trainings at the east and west coast retreats. While the training builds on work they do for scientists to help them become more adept in reaching out to the press and lay audiences, they have adapted that work to support our fellows in all disciplines. Based on feedback, we are already in discusion with them about offering an alternative training to prepare Fellows and colleagues to communicate and effect change wtih policymakers. 

The retreats offered a terrific chance for fellows to meet one another, identify common interests and share experiences. We also tapped several senior Fellows to share their career paths and leadership experiences Sunday morning of each retreat. We once again capped the retreats wtih keynote speakers, in New England with Susan Witt and Alice Maggio of the New Economics Institute and in California we heard from Richard Heinberg of the Post Carbon Institute about the realities of "peak oil" and the challenges to reduce energy consumptionand meet new limits in energy availabitliy for the future.