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What does “community” even mean? A definition attempt & conversation starter

What does “community” even mean? A definition attempt & conversation starter

While shopping for groceries a few weeks ago, I picked up a pack of salad and flipped it around to learn about its origin. Immediately…
Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
Fabian Pfortmüller
Sep 20, 2017
There are two ways to show up in a community: as a consumer or as a co-creator.

There are two ways to show up in a community: as a consumer or as a co-creator.

And why it matters tremendously to create a culture of co-creation.
Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
Fabian Pfortmüller
Nov 8, 2017
8 ways to empower people to show up as active co-creators in your community

8 ways to empower people to show up as active co-creators in your community

This is part 2 in a series about the power of co-creation in communities. Here is part 1: “There are two ways to show up in a community: as…
Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
Fabian Pfortmüller
Nov 27, 2017
What’s possible here & who cares? A powerful question for any community

What’s possible here & who cares? A powerful question for any community

Inspired by Meg Wheatley, I found this to be one of the most powerful questions a community can ask. Here is why.
Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
Fabian Pfortmüller
Apr 21
10 Principles for Healthy Communities by Meg Wheatley

10 Principles for Healthy Communities by Meg Wheatley

One of the main questions we keep coming back to in our work is: what makes a community healthy? What allows a community to thrive in the…
Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
Fabian Pfortmüller
Apr 1
Building trust in society, one tea at a time. Community profile: Tea With Strangers

Building trust in society, one tea at a time. Community profile: Tea With Strangers

Last summer I was sitting with Ankit Shah in a cafe in San Francisco. A while into our conversation a stranger, sharing a table with us…
Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
Fabian Pfortmüller
Jun 17, 2019
There are so many amazing community builders in this world … who can’t make a living being a…

There are so many amazing community builders in this world … who can’t make a living being a…

Our work with the Community Canvas has allowed me to see the state of “community building” from a bird’s eye view. Through the Canvas and…
Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
Fabian Pfortmüller
May 28, 2019
Communities: a space to be heard and seen?

Communities: a space to be heard and seen?

Over the last two weeks I participated in several community retreats. At all of these gatherings the discussion circles with the full group…
Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
Fabian Pfortmüller
May 24, 2019
Powerful community ritual: Canadian engineers wear an iron ring

Powerful community ritual: Canadian engineers wear an iron ring

A few weeks ago I was part of an inspired dinner conversation where one of the guests told us that many Canadian engineers — like himself —…
Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
Fabian Pfortmüller
May 7, 2019
Community building is as old as humanity — let’s remember, not invent

Community building is as old as humanity — let’s remember, not invent

A few weeks back I saw Ants Cabraal from Enspiral present at AIME 2019 in Melbourne. He gave a fabulous talk about how community can…
Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
Fabian Pfortmüller
May 6, 2019
Community is a journey, not a destination

Community is a journey, not a destination

I recently spoke with a UN agency who is building a global community of practitioners. In our conversations I was reminded of a particular…
Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
Fabian Pfortmüller
Apr 16, 2019
What do we want to change in the next version of the Community Canvas? Insights from user research

What do we want to change in the next version of the Community Canvas? Insights from user research

These insights come from user interviews in the last few months, the Canvas 2.0 survey and a 3 day workshop the team held in NYC in…
Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
Fabian Pfortmüller
Apr 15, 2019
Can a community be planned? Yes and no

Can a community be planned? Yes and no

As we are working on the next iteration of the Community Canvas, an existential question keeps surfacing: can communities even be planned…
Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
Fabian Pfortmüller
Apr 8, 2019
Where we are headed with version 2.0 of the Community Canvas

Where we are headed with version 2.0 of the Community Canvas

We have been working on the next version of the Community Canvas for the last couple of months and this post is a summary of the clarity we…
Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
Fabian Pfortmüller
Apr 8, 2019
The three core motivators in communities: Being together, Learning together, Doing together

The three core motivators in communities: Being together, Learning together, Doing together

One of the biggest question I’m holding with nurturing thriving communities is simple: what are the core motivations for people to show up…
Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
Fabian Pfortmüller
Mar 27, 2019
Community profile: MakeSense

Community profile: MakeSense

A few months ago I sat down with my dear friend Christian Vanizette, co-founder of MakeSense. MakeSense is a global community of 40'000+…
Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
Fabian Pfortmüller
Mar 19, 2019
Why do we overload the agendas of our community experiences?

Why do we overload the agendas of our community experiences?

This is part 3 of my reflection about our unhealthy relationship with time and how it affects communities (part 1, part 2). In this post I…
Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
Fabian Pfortmüller
Mar 19, 2019
What role do trusted relationships play for the future of work?

What role do trusted relationships play for the future of work?

I had the pleasure of chatting with Katinka Magnussen from Black Boat, who was in NYC to interview people about the future of work. Here is…
Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
Fabian Pfortmüller
Jan 28, 2019
The role of strategic patience in building meaningful communities

The role of strategic patience in building meaningful communities

This is a continuation on my reflection about our unhealthy relationship with time and how it affects the way we build and show up in…
Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
Fabian Pfortmüller
Jan 24, 2019
Systemic challenge of building meaningful communities: our unhealthy relationship with time

Systemic challenge of building meaningful communities: our unhealthy relationship with time

I recently read Winners Take All by Anand Giridharadas (which I can highly recommend). And it made me realize that if I want to help…
Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
Fabian Pfortmüller
Jan 23, 2019
Going from Community Canvas 1.0 to version 2.0 (and we need your help)

Going from Community Canvas 1.0 to version 2.0 (and we need your help)

I always thought of the Community Canvas as a “work in progress” document. What we launched in May 2017 was a pretty rough draft and I…
Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
Fabian Pfortmüller
Jan 15, 2019
Poly Tribalism

Poly Tribalism

At a recent community gathering, Kate Beecroft expressed a fascinating idea. She talked about “poly tribalism”: many of us are part not…
Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
Fabian Pfortmüller
Jan 10, 2019
Design principles for brand communities (a wish list)

Design principles for brand communities (a wish list)

I have been talking to different brands recently who are building brand communities. And I realized that at the core of these conversations…
Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
Fabian Pfortmüller
Jan 8, 2019
Community profile Legal Hackers: interview with Jameson Dempsey

Community profile Legal Hackers: interview with Jameson Dempsey

I had the pleasure of chatting with my friend Jameson Dempsey, one of the founding members and current board members of Legal Hackers…
Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
Fabian Pfortmüller
Nov 20, 2018
The dark sides of communities: the in-group and out-group effect

The dark sides of communities: the in-group and out-group effect

When groups come together, and the people in it start trusting each other and feeling a sense of belonging, the magic of community happens…
Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
Fabian Pfortmüller
Nov 13, 2018
My talk about the power of community at ESHIP Summit 2018

My talk about the power of community at ESHIP Summit 2018

I tend to be very critical about my own talks and often find them hard to watch without feeling horribly embarrassed. Yet I’m also trying…
Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
Fabian Pfortmüller
Oct 29, 2018
People join communities for reason x, but they keep coming back for relationships

People join communities for reason x, but they keep coming back for relationships

Last night I had the pleasure of being part of a beautiful panel discussion about community building with Kristin Hodgson from Meetup…
Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
Fabian Pfortmüller
Oct 11, 2018
Community profile: The Sanctuaries

Community profile: The Sanctuaries

A few weeks back, I had the honor of chatting with Rev. Erik W. Martínez Resly, one of the co-directors of The Sanctuaries. The Sanctuaries…
Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
Fabian Pfortmüller
Oct 5, 2018
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