In many large group processes I use, small groups are asked to facilitate some of the process. Recently, on the National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation mailing list, there was a call for easy guides to help people facilitate these kinds of groups. Turns out that there is lots out there, including: 37 guides collected on NCDD’s own website Some resources from a climate dialogue project in Seattle The Conversation Cafe guidelines Bare bones version of the Let’s Talk America guidelines More detailed issue guides from the Everyday Democracy project And a few more that I use: Hosting …
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From my dear friend Peggy Holman: A few weeks ago, I spontaneously created a new form of convergence with a group of about 20. I think it can work well with groups of 60 or less, and perhaps with groups up to 100 or so. I was intending to do what I always do these days – follow the energy and re-open the space for what has heart and meaning for taking a next step. Instead, because the meeting was intended to both give the group a chance to bond as well as set priorities for their work, something …
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I was just putting together some materials for an Open Space training workshop I’m doing in Prince Rupert, BC on Friday and I compiled three useful approaches to facilitating action planning in Open Space. The first is my own version of moving to action, the second is Diana Larsen’s approach to prioritizing ideas by impact and energy and the third approach is Jack Martin Leith’s approach to project planning, which he blogged here. The three are in an easy to download .pdf. Enjoy. UPDATE: I would be remiss not to point to Lisa Heft’s site, where she dilligently collected …
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|A question to ask always is whether or not your conversation design is breeding possibility or impossibility. Are we asking questions that look at what is possible, that look at overcoming our fears, or are we looking for things that emerge out of fears. And example of the later is when clients ask me to design conversations around proposals or presentations. It seems to happen most commonly with government clients that they want to ask a variation of a question like “What do you notice is wrong with our proposal? What are we missing?” Now it’s not a problem to …
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From our Art of Hosting gathering that concluded here on Bowen Island today comes a great line from my friend Christie Diamond: “Conversation begins before it starts, continues after it ends and doesn’t always involve words.” Brilliant, because once you understand THAT, you embark on the path of mastery. Update: Dave Pollard has posted a nice harvest of his learning at our gathering.