The Art of Hosting2024-03-28T14:07:58ZSharon N. Black (Shari)http://artofhosting.ning.com/profile/SharonNBlackSharihttp://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2653631913?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1http://artofhosting.ning.com/group/aohbowenisland/forum/topic/listForContributor?user=3dj9iafog9dwp&feed=yes&xn_auth=noMusings on Holding Spacetag:artofhosting.ning.com,2010-12-01:4134568:Topic:45802010-12-01T21:47:38.000ZSharon N. Black (Shari)http://artofhosting.ning.com/profile/SharonNBlackShari
Hello friends from Bowen. I had glorious opportunity to practice much of what we explored together at Bowen with a group a couple of weeks ago. My post <a href="http://amandafenton.com/2010/12/musings-on-holding-space/">is here</a> as well as text copied below. Questions and feedback welcomed!…<div><br></br></div>
Hello friends from Bowen. I had glorious opportunity to practice much of what we explored together at Bowen with a group a couple of weeks ago. My post <a href="http://amandafenton.com/2010/12/musings-on-holding-space/">is here</a> as well as text copied below. Questions and feedback welcomed!<div><br/></div>
<div><p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 24px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to work with a group who wanted to create some plans for 2011. I drew on the <a href="http://www.artofhosting.org/theart/chaordicsteppingstones/" target="_blank" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 102, 204);">Chaordic Stepping Stones</a> to clarify the high level purpose, the principles, the people and the meeting concept, guided by the mantra that “we aren’t planning a meeting, we’re planning a harvest”. I loved how in the pre-meeting work the right practice for this meeting emerged so naturally and the Stepping Stones created space for suggestions (such as inviting more of the system into the room and invitation as a process).</span></span></p>
<p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 24px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We worked with the concept of an <a href="http://sites.google.com/a/pro-action.eu/pro-action-caf-/" target="_blank" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 102, 204); background-xg-p: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Action Café</a> as there were specific project areas that needed the benefit of the group’s perspective in a short amount of time. There was a rich moment in the pre-meeting work where we explored the benefit of not assigning people to go to particular tables, to let people self-select and join the conversations that called to them. (In the meeting it was like magic when I chimed the first round and *whoosh* people immediately travelled to where they wanted to go.)</span></p>
<p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 24px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A few of my personal reflections:</span></p>
<ul style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 24px; margin-left: 1.5em; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; list-style-type: square; list-style-xg-p: initial; list-style-image: initial;">
<li style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-xg-p: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Using this <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/chriscorrigan/381482363/" target="_blank" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 102, 204); background-xg-p: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">groan zone image</a> was so helpful to describe to the key stakeholders what it would feel like during the meeting. As well as sharing the Open Space principle of who ever shows up are right people – not to fret about why someone has arrived at a table or wishing someone else would.</span></li>
<li style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-xg-p: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I also tapped into the OS principle of what happens is the only thing that could have, and when it starts is the right time. There were a few times when some formal presentations began to go on longer than planned and I simply let go and enjoyed the bits of wiggle room I had built into the agenda.</span></li>
<li style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-xg-p: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I used an informal circle to shift the feeling in the room when we moved from the formal presentation into the Café, resting to absorb the questions for the afternoon and the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/amandafenton/5060434464/" target="_blank" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 102, 204); background-xg-p: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">World Café principles</a> that would help us meet well that day.</span></li>
<li style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-xg-p: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I focused on holding the space instead of mucking about in the group’s work.</span></li>
<li style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-xg-p: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In hindsight, I would have done <a href="http://caitlinfrost.ca/the-work/how-to-do-the-work/" target="_blank" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 102, 204); background-xg-p: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">The Work</a> on a sticky thought about a senior leader (whom I had not conversed with) possibly staying for the Café. The Work might have helped me see the possibility in that potential reality rather than me feeling all “yikes” about it.</span></li>
</ul>
<p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 24px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The meeting was deemed a success with all the action plans that had emerged by the end. At closing circle we passed a talking stick that even travelled backwards a couple of times – a joyous ending filled with both laughter and humble moments. It was an awesome example of how learning happens through conversation. One of the highlights for me was hearing several people say that they are convinced that inviting a group of people together around a challenge is how we should handle all the challenges inside the organization. I agree.</span></p>
<div style="font-size: 15.6px;"><br/></div>
<p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 24px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 15.6px;"></p>
</div> Ripples after Bowen...tag:artofhosting.ning.com,2010-11-07:4134568:Topic:38442010-11-07T05:45:55.000ZSharon N. Black (Shari)http://artofhosting.ning.com/profile/SharonNBlackShari
Hi All,<div><br></br></div>
<div>I've been steeping like tea... so many great ripples from our time together in the AoH. I paused tonight to make some of my knowledge visible <a href="http://amandafenton.com/2010/11/im-steeping-like-tea/">here</a>. I'd love to hear from the rest of you - what has found the way into your <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13.3333px;">life and work, or ones you've been re-inspired to connect with again? …</span></div>
Hi All,<div><br/></div>
<div>I've been steeping like tea... so many great ripples from our time together in the AoH. I paused tonight to make some of my knowledge visible <a href="http://amandafenton.com/2010/11/im-steeping-like-tea/">here</a>. I'd love to hear from the rest of you - what has found the way into your <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13.3333px;">life and work, or ones you've been re-inspired to connect with again? <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 9.25925px;"> </span></span></div>
<div><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><br/></span></font></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 9.25925px;"><br/></span></span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 9.25925px;"><br/></span></span></div> Adding to my learnings - final poststag:artofhosting.ning.com,2010-10-25:4134568:Topic:34192010-10-25T06:08:32.000ZSharon N. Black (Shari)http://artofhosting.ning.com/profile/SharonNBlackShari
Greetings all,<div><br></br></div>
<div>Wanted to share my three final posts from all my AoH notes (never a final harvest though - so much is still emerging for me!).</div>
<div><br></br></div>
<div><a href="http://amandafenton.com/2010/10/art-of-hosting-%E2%80%93-v-five/">V. Five - Method Camp's Five Breaths of Design and Chaordic Stepping Stones</a></div>
<div><a href="http://amandafenton.com/2010/10/art-of-hosting-%E2%80%93-v-six/">V. Six - Journalling and Miscellaneous</a> …</div>
Greetings all,<div><br/></div>
<div>Wanted to share my three final posts from all my AoH notes (never a final harvest though - so much is still emerging for me!).</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div><a href="http://amandafenton.com/2010/10/art-of-hosting-%E2%80%93-v-five/">V. Five - Method Camp's Five Breaths of Design and Chaordic Stepping Stones</a></div>
<div><a href="http://amandafenton.com/2010/10/art-of-hosting-%E2%80%93-v-six/">V. Six - Journalling and Miscellaneous</a> </div>
<div><a href="http://amandafenton.com/2010/10/art-of-hosting-%E2%80%93-v-seven/">V. Seven - my Kleco! Kleco! and some closing thoughts</a></div>
<div><br/></div>
<div><br/></div> More learningstag:artofhosting.ning.com,2010-10-21:4134568:Topic:33302010-10-21T06:13:01.000ZSharon N. Black (Shari)http://artofhosting.ning.com/profile/SharonNBlackShari
I sat down with all my AoH notes and did some personal harvesting to help me remember my time and capture my wow moments. I split them up into seven posts and here are the first four. The other three should be up by the weekend (I'll add them here once they're live). <div><br></br></div>
<div>Please bear with them - they are more my own messy rambling notes than an eloquent harvest!<div><br></br></div>
<div><a href="http://amandafenton.com/2010/10/art-of-hosting-%E2%80%93-v-one/">V. One - World Cafe…</a></div>
</div>
I sat down with all my AoH notes and did some personal harvesting to help me remember my time and capture my wow moments. I split them up into seven posts and here are the first four. The other three should be up by the weekend (I'll add them here once they're live). <div><br/></div>
<div>Please bear with them - they are more my own messy rambling notes than an eloquent harvest!<div><br/></div>
<div><a href="http://amandafenton.com/2010/10/art-of-hosting-%E2%80%93-v-one/">V. One - World Cafe and so why am I really here</a></div>
<div><a href="http://amandafenton.com/2010/10/art-of-hosting-%E2%80%93-v-two/">V. Two - On Harvesting and Circle</a></div>
<div><a href="http://amandafenton.com/2010/10/art-of-hosting-%E2%80%93-v-three/">V. Three - Two Loops and Open Space</a></div>
<div><a href="http://amandafenton.com/2010/10/art-of-hosting-%E2%80%93-v-four/">V. Four - Check-in and The Work</a></div>
<div><div><br/></div>
<div>Can't wait to read about your thoughts and notes on the experience - do share!</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Smiles,</div>
</div>
</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Amanda</div> Photo Collections from Bowen Art of Hosting, October 2010tag:artofhosting.ning.com,2010-10-18:4134568:Topic:33072010-10-18T14:35:15.000ZSharon N. Black (Shari)http://artofhosting.ning.com/profile/SharonNBlackShari
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tennesonwoolf/sets/72157625120435646/">October 3-6, 2010 -- Tenneson</a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tennesonwoolf/sets/72157625120435646/">October 3-6, 2010 -- Tenneson</a>