The Art of Hosting

Pasting from a conversation that was going on in the emaillist:

Hello,

I am doing a two day art of hosting training next week for a nurses council here in Nova Scotia. Does anyone have a design from a previous two day AoH or Art of Participatory Leadership?

I am also interested ...
What would you absolutely not compromise in an Art of Hosting?
What are the elements that cannot be left out regardless of the context?

Helpful for me as I ponder a design to meet these folks needs and 
desires ...

Cheers
Tim
--------------
Hi Tim,

Your question is most timely.  Last week Chris Corrigan and I co-hosted a two-day AOH in St. Paul. Afterwards we reflected a little about what two-day AoH's could look like if they were more regularly offered and agreed to share thoughts.  I've been thinking about this notion much of this week.  I found myself thinking about it through the lens of intention and service.  I kept coming back to a situation that I experienced recently.  A small
community in the region wanted to hold community-wide dialogues on their future as they are experiencing both development pressures from a nearby larger city and concern about loss of youth.  Unfortunately, in the tight economy they don't have the resources to hire someone to help them with the dialogues (at least not a process that would go deeply into the issues and open up space for the wisdom in the community to emerge).  The question
emerged for me after the experience in St. Paul, could a two-day AoH be both helpful and more financially possible for the community?

So, I've been reflecting on how a two-day AoH using the topic of the community's future as the source of the questions for the learning could build capacity within the community to host itself going forward to explore issues and ideas the are sitting within the many voices in the community and allow the wisdom within the community to emerge and be harvested in a way that serves the community and leads to whatever is most appropriate for going
forward.

While I'm still sitting with the question of what a two-day AoH might look like, what is bubbling up for me as essential are four things:
circle check-ins and check-outs;
some teaching on one or more of the following - complex systems, emergence, the chaordic path, convergence/divergence, five breaths;
world café;
and open space. 

I could see the first day flowing like this: morning circle check-in, a little teaching that helps participants gain a better understanding of working with each other and within complex systems, a café on a framing question that really opens up the space for deeper dialogue during the remaining time of both days and a harvest that sets the stage for going forward, lunch, afternoon open space the mainly brings forth the many issues sitting within the community ( or an organization) and a harvest that might bring forth questions for day two, and finally a circle check-out.  Maybe end with a little social time before folks head home.

Day two would again begin with a circle check-in hosted by someone from the community, a little review of the café process and then a café using a question that emerged from the previous day's open space that is hosted by people from the community and a longer harvest to be sure that the wisdom shared at the tables is brought forth, lunch, a little review of the open space process and then an open space again hosted by people from the
community and a longer harvest that both gives people information to leave with and reflect on and invites further dialogue for the community going forward, then a circle check-out hosted by someone from the community maybe around the question "I leave here intending to....?"  And then a little celebration social time. 

Sorry for the ramblings here.  As this moves into the center for reflection by all the AoH mates, I welcome thoughts, suggestions, etc as I'm planning to offer a two-day AoH o the community mentioned above and put the opportunity out into our region for other communities or organizations to consider.

Peace out,
jerry

Views: 48

Reply to This

© 2024   Created by Rowan.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service