Categories
change facilitating & hosting

Exploring How Living Systems Change

In my last post about the Strategic Reflection Session, I mentioned a context setting piece on the Two Loops, which is a map of how living systems change. Here is how I described it to the group. This is a context-setting piece, not a roadmap of ‘change management’. I’ll touch on some of the core […]

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facilitating & hosting

A Strategic Reflection Session

It was a group of about 60 church leaders and lay people, gathering for a regular business meeting. They meet face to face like this only a few times a year. I was invited in to provide participatory design and hosting for the session. They wanted to use the time to look back and discover […]

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facilitating & hosting

Springtime Circle

I’m fortunate to be part of a few circles that gather on a regular basis. One of those circles describes our purpose as: Time to slow down, reflect, connect on a deeper level, explore our inner journey and life path, our soul choices, our questions, our courage, where we are holding back or afraid, bringing […]

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facilitating & hosting

Beauty, Silence and Listening

This from Bob Stilger in the Art of Hosting community: Several days ago, in Montreal, we held a one day workshop using stories from Japan’s disaster area as fuel for a conversation about thrivability in Montreal. Several things were key to the event’s success. One was that we brought beauty into the center. As we […]

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facilitating & hosting

Where Is The Conversation?

Two recent events in my Twitter stream; one a big design conference in the US and the other a local day-of-speakers event. One common theme from a couple people: fatigue from the traditional speaker-after-speaker agenda. The industrial revolution model of all eyes forward to the sage on the stage. Said one: The nature of conferences […]

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facilitating & hosting

Story Sharing Session

Excited for this week as I’m helping some friends with a conference, stepping into the role of Host and Master Theme Weaver. I’ll also be hosting a session that will combine elements of Storycatching, Anecdote Circles, Collective Story Harvest and a group chalk-talk inspired flip chart harvest. Can’t wait to see how it goes and […]

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facilitating & hosting

On Invitation

I’m starting a deeper exploration around the concept “invitation is a process”. For participatory gatherings inviting people well is a critical part of the quality of the experience. As I shared in the Design Helpers post: The meeting begins long before the invitation is issued. Invitation is a process, and the goal is to attract […]

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facilitating & hosting

Open Space Learning Workshop

*This is a long, rambling capture of my learnings* We were a group of 11 who gathered in a warm, sunny San Francisco for Lisa Heft’s Open Space Learning Workshop: Porcia, Owen, Gary, Julie, Dianne, Anthony, Denise, Carolina, Lindsay and Lorenia. We started by reflecting in silence on our work as a facilitator and wrote […]

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facilitating & hosting

Designing Meetings, Ninja Style

I’ve been on a covert operation. (Well, before this post it was covert.) Sometimes in my role I have the chance to assist with a meeting’s design, and I’ve been nudging various groups away from talking-head-fests into the realm of participatory possibility. A conversation today reminded me of a common folly when it comes to […]