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How to Use the Tool Box

When you have the right tool, it is easier to get the job done right. It is easier to hit a nail with a hammer than with a wrench. It is also easier to find the best tool for the job if you keep them all together in a tool box.

Just like a real tool box, the Working Together Tool Box has things you can use to help you work with others so you all meet a shared goal. But instead of tools made of metal and plastic, the Working Together tools are made up of activities, checklists and good ideas. The tools came from people like you and from books, magazines and the Internet.

Tools work better if they fit you—for example, left-handed people can cut better with left-handed scissors. So we filled the Working Together Tool Box with ideas that fit with the things the Edmonton PDD community does well. These include caring, listening, respecting others, and supporting good ideas that make life better for people with developmental disabilities and their families.

The menu on the left sorts the Tool Box so that you can find the right tool faster. You can also type a word in the box under the menu that is related to the topic you want. Then click the box with "search" just below it. You will get a list of pages in the Tool Box that have that word.

Click here to go to the top of the page.

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Here is a Table of Contents (or Site Map) for the Working Together Tool Box:

• Working Together Tool Box (home page) - has the purpose of the Tool Box and who worked on it.
• How to Use the Tool Box - shows how to find what you are looking for in the Tool Box.
• Why Work Together - shows the good and bad things about working together.
• Why PDD Does it - has why PDD thinks it is important to work together with its community.
• Projects and Partners - has some PDD projects and who worked with PDD on them.
• Ways to Work Together - defines different ways to work together, such as "consultation" and "collaboration."
• When to Work Together - has rules to help you decide if you should work alone or with others on your project.
• How to Work Together - has the steps you should follow when you decide to work with others on a project.
• Who Do We Need? - has what to ask yourself to make sure you have the team members you need.
• How Many Do We Need? - has rules for how many people is a good number to work with in different kinds of situations.
• Groups We Work With - has ideas from Edmonton PDD for groups that can be good to work with.
• Make Contact - has a To Do List of how to get ready to invite people to be part of the team.
• Why Do It This Way? - has reasons why it is important to follow the To Do List.
• Invitation Form - has information that people need to decide if they want to join the team.
• The First Meeting - has a To Do List of what to do to have a good first team meeting.
• Why Do These Things? - has reasons why it is important to follow the To Do List.
• Follow Through - has a To Do List of what to do after team meetings.
• Why Do Follow-up? - has reasons why it is important to follow the To Do List.
• Celebrate Together - has ideas for how to celebrate reaching goals.

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• Working Together Tools - introduces topics where the Tool Box has ideas and activities to help you do a good job and solve problems.
• Manage the Project - introduces topics related to project management.
• Lead Meetings - shows how to be organized so you can lead a team meeting.
• Meeting Problems - lists common problems that happen in meetings and the good and bad responses to them.
• Make Good Decisions Together - has steps to make decisions and common problems that groups face when they make decisions together.
• Get the Job Done - shows how to decide who does what job and how to help the team meet deadlines.
• Communicate Well - shows how to listen well and say what you mean.
• Feeling Words - a list of words used to describe different feelings.
• Practise Paraphrase - helps you learn to say things another way.
• Practise Reflecting - helps you learn to show people you understand how they feel.
• Plain Language Tips - shows how to get help to write in simple language.
• Build a Team - has ideas for how to learn about each other and help each other.
• Learn Names - is an ice breaker activity.
• Day in the Life - is an ice breaker activity.
• Best Day - Worst Day - is an ice breaker activity.
• Making a Change - is an ice breaker activity.
• Truth or Lie - is an ice breaker activity.
• What Do We Share? - is an ice breaker activity.
• Power Lines - is an activity to explore team members' power.
• Us and Them - is an activity to explore team members' power.
• Money Talks - is an activity to explore team members' power.
• Help Wanted - is an activity to get team members to help each other.
• Good For Us - is an activity to get team members to help each other.
• Help Everyone Win - talks about when people do not get along well.
• Difficult Conversations - has ideas for how to talk about things that may upset people.
• Stand Up For Yourself - has ideas for how to get others to listen to what is important to you.
• Practise "I" Talk - is an activity to help you say what you need and want.
• Know Ways to End Conflict - has what to do when you do not agree.
• Find Out Interests - has a form to help you see the other person's point of view.
• Practise Listening - is an activity to help you listen carefully to others.
• Practise Reframing - is an activity to help you say things in a positive way.
• Make Peace Between Partners - has what to do to help others get along.
• How Are We Doing? - has why it is important to find out how well the team works together.
• Impact of Power - shows how differences in power affect what people tell you.
• What People Prefer - has how people like to be asked how the team is working together.
• What to Ask and When - introduces what to ask the team to find out if they are working well together.
• At the Start of Teamwork - has the most important things to find out after the first meeting.
• In the Middle of the Project - has the most important things to find out to keep the team working well together.
• At the End of the Goal - has the most important things to find out when the project is done.
• Find Out More - has lists of more things to read related to Tool Box topics.
• Add Your Own Ideas - shows how to add new information to the Tool Box.

Click here to go to the top of the page.