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We went heavy on facilitation tips in 2023. Most of our top posts (at least how we measure them) came from previous years.
We went heavy on facilitation tips in 2023. Most of our top posts (at least how we measure them) came from previous years.

What are our top-ranked facilitation articles? We went heavy on facilitation tips in 2023. Most of our top posts (at least how we measure them) came from previous years. This indicates the quality of the previous posts but also the facilitation market looking for total solutions rather than one-off tips. Do they think this represents a market trend for 2024? Let us know what you think.

 

The Sources of the Facilitation Articles

The ten facilitation articles we posted this year are based on the most interesting people and topics we encountered in our travels. For the most part, travels include the consulting assignments of JD Solomon Solutions. In some cases, the source of the article is related to the follow-up conversations from a workshop or webinar.

 

No Particular Order or Predetermined List

JD Solomon Solutions is a lean, niche company. That means most of the content creation for the website falls on me and not our team. Time is precious, so everything comes from the wild. The golden rule is, “See it, write about it, and post it.”  That makes looking back on the previous year's content just as informative as the articles themselves.

 

13 Timely Insights on Facilitation from 2023 describe the types of articles and range of topics we touched on over the past year.

 

Our Definition of Facilitation

JD Solomon Solutions brands itself in asset management (including reliability, risk, and operational resilience), program development, and facilitation. Our facilitation services range from higher-level strategic plans and board retreats to technical projects like root cause analysis, failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA), and criticality analysis.

 

Facilitation is about guiding a group to solutions that are created, understood, and accepted by all. It is a structured form of collaboration. Visit the Facilitation webpage for more information.

 

Visit our facilitation services webpage for more information.

 

How We Ranked Them

The top articles were ranked by a weight-of-evidence approach using the following parameters:

  • Social media views

  • Social media likes

  • Comments, including social media, email, and conversations

  • Requests for additional information, proposals, contracts

 

The Top 4 Facilitation Articles of 2023

 

The Best of the Rest

 

The Topics (and Biases) of the 2023 Articles

The inspiration from the people and projects we encountered generated articles on the following topics:

  • Strategic Plans and Board Retreats (3)

  • Actionable Implementation/Dashboards (2)

  • Facilitator Characteristics and Career Development (2)

  • Approaches (1)

  • Specific Tips (5)

 

We went heavy in 2023 on specific tips like "how to build an agenda" and "why facilitators fail to onboard new members.” The specific tips faired well on social media but missed the weight-of-evidence criteria, including follow-up conversations and generating new business.

 

However, in 2022, we caught some lighting in a bottle. It inspired me to write a book about facilitation in 2023. Some articles that inspired the book continue to dominate our insights page over a year later.

 

Where Does Facilitation Rank Overall?

Top-rated facilitation articles comprised 20% of the top 20 articles in the past year and 20% of the top 40. Facilitation as a service line makes up approximately 25% of our revenue.

 

Looking to 2024

We went heavy on facilitation tips in 2023. Most of our top posts (at least how we measure them) came from previous years. This indicates the quality of the previous posts but also the facilitation market looking for total solutions rather than one-off tips. Do they think this represents a market trend for 2024? Let us know what you think.

 


 

JD Solomon Inc. provides solutions for program development, asset management, and facilitation at the nexus of facilities, infrastructure, and the environment. Subscribe for monthly updates related to our firm.


 


The Neuse River is JD Solomon's home river and empties into the Pamilco Sound, one of the greatest sailing places on the planet.
The Neuse River is JD Solomon's home river and empties into the Pamilco Sound, one of the greatest sailing places on the planet.

On November 9, 2023, JD Solomon was elected chair of the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission. The chair is chosen by the member of the Commission under new statutes passed by the General Assembly. Solomon previously served as chair from late 2016 to early 2019 under two different governors.


The Environmental Management Commission is a 15-member commission appointed by the Governor, the Senate Pro Tempore, the Speaker of the House, and the Agriculture Commissioner. The Commission is responsible for adopting rules for protecting, preserving, and enhancing the state's air and water resources.


Commission members are chosen to represent various interests, including the medical profession, agriculture, engineering, fish and wildlife, groundwater, air and water pollution control, municipal or county government, and the public at large.


The Commission oversees and adopts rules for several Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) divisions, including the Divisions of Air Quality, Land Resources, Solid Waste, and Water Resources.


 

JD Solomon Inc. provides solutions for program development, asset management, and facilitation solutions at the nexus of facilities, infrastructure, and the environment. Subscribe for monthly updates related to our firm.


PFAS dominated the general interest but root cause analysis dominated the Top Environmental Articles of 2023.
PFAS dominated the general interest, but root cause analysis dominated the Top Environmental Articles of 2023.

What are our top-ranked environmental articles of 2023? Do they represent market trends? You will be surprised by a few of the results. Let us know what you think.


The Sources of the Articles

The ten environmental articles we posted this year are based on the most interesting people and topics we encountered in our travels. For the most part, travels include the consulting assignments of JD Solomon Solutions. In some cases, the source of the article is related to the follow-up conversations from a workshop or webinar.


No Particular Order or Predetermined List

JD Solomon Solutions is a lean, niche company. That means most of the content creation for the website falls on me and not our team. Time is precious, so everything comes from the wild. The golden rule is, “See it, write about it, and post it.”  That makes looking back on the previous year's content just as informative as the articles themselves.


10 Timely Insights on Environmental Issues from 2023 describe the types of articles and range of topics we touched on over the past year.


Our Definition of Environmental

Environmental services span the topics regulated by USEPA and the related state agencies.


Our specific service offerings include integrating permitting and compliance issues into program development, performing environmental root cause analysis, providing third-party reviews, providing expert opinions on emerging contaminants and harmful algal blooms, and facilitating water management planning.


Visit our environmental services webpage for more information.


How We Ranked Them

The top articles were ranked by a weight-of-evidence approach using the following parameters:

  • Social media views

  • Social media likes

  • Comments, including social media, email, and conversations

  • Requests for additional information, proposals, contracts

 

The Top 4 Asset Management Articles of 2023

 

The Best of the Rest


Interestingly, two of our most popular environmental articles appeared on LinkedIn and not on the website. Both generated a lot of conversation and were the source of a requested presentation at a global conference.


 

The Topics (and Biases) of the 2023 Articles

The inspiration generated articles on the following topics:

  • PFAS (4)

  • Wetlands (1)

  • Climate change (1)

  • NPDES permitting (1)

  • Water sources (1)

  • Root cause analysis (1)

  • Communication (1)


For our company, environmental services cut through almost every project we do. However, we do very little work as standalone environmental services. In other words, we don’t lead site cleanups or obtain air permits. That means our articles are a bit biased by the primary work (like a utility regionalization project or regional water plan) or by things our clients are inquiring about (like PFAS).


It is interesting that one of the services we are best known for, root cause analysis, rose to the top no matter what else we wrote. And the top article from this category was an oldie but goodie.


Where Does Environmental Rank Overall

Environmental articles comprised 15% of the top 20 articles in the past year and 15% of the top 40. That’s consistent but also a strange metric when standalone environmental projects only account for about 5% of our revenues.


Looking to 2024

Do our top-ranked environmental articles in 2023 indicate market needs and interests? Or are our results biased based on the niche focus of our company and the small sample size of articles? Please give us your thoughts.


 

JD Solomon Inc. provides solutions for program development, asset management, and facilitation solutions at the nexus of facilities, infrastructure, and the environment. Subscribe for monthly updates related to our firm.


 

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