Welcome
Amber welcomed the group to this retreat and offered we are here "to make space for conversation with each other." She offered the following advice for our two days together:
Tenneson shared his lineage and the understanding that self-organization allows us to simply be who we are and bring out the best of who we are. Jessica shared her role as harvester and as "memory keeper" for the retreat. |
For more information about the Art of Hosting visit: http://www.artofhosting.org/
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Check-In
"How we begin and end together matters." -Tenneson
We created two circles, an inner circle and an outer circle. We rotated as we asked each other the following questions:
We created two circles, an inner circle and an outer circle. We rotated as we asked each other the following questions:
- What does this picture say about how you intend to be here these two days?
- What is your favorite part of working here at Energy Trust?
- What is a skill you are known for here and a skill you are not known for here?
- Is there anything you are nervous about in being here for these two days or at Energy Trust in general?
- Why did you choose to come to these two days?
World Cafe
Round 1: When have you experienced working well together?
Round 2: From your stories, what were some of the qualities of working well together?
Round 3: What advice do you think is most important for us to remember about working well together?
Top Ten Pieces of Advice For Working Well Together (no particular order):
After the experience was over, we asked what did you notice? Here are some captured thoughts:
"What speed does the conversation need to be at? What depth does the conversation need to go?" - Kevin
"The work of evolving our edges of leadership is in interrupting patterns." - Tenneson
Applications of World Cafe:
Round 2: From your stories, what were some of the qualities of working well together?
Round 3: What advice do you think is most important for us to remember about working well together?
Top Ten Pieces of Advice For Working Well Together (no particular order):
- Humor
- Value all voices
- Letting go of expectations
- Have fun
- Learn what makes people tick
- Surface shared expectations
- If you don't leave room for mistakes, you are not leaving foom for success
- Hear what everyone has to say
- Trust and respect are gold
- Genuine permission to dissent
After the experience was over, we asked what did you notice? Here are some captured thoughts:
- Small groups promote participation
- One table's idea seeds another
- Could try out different teams/people
- Different interactions and styles
- Folks found same things from different conversations
- More genuine and deeper conversation
- I enjoyed the Play Dough, it helped me
- It's harder to sustain long term
- Anxiousness of having shared
- Shared perspectives
- The third conversation had a different quality because there was a deliverable
- World Cafe changes the way you approach the meeting
- Breaks down hierarchy
"What speed does the conversation need to be at? What depth does the conversation need to go?" - Kevin
"The work of evolving our edges of leadership is in interrupting patterns." - Tenneson
Applications of World Cafe:
- When there is a complex or messy problem to think creatively; structured brainstorming and facilitating different voices
- Opening for a 250 person conference focusing on share purpose: it was social glue
- We need to move beyond surface conversations
- Other reasons: complexity, relationship building, building connection, size 15-100's...
Why Talk? Why Listen? Why Harvest?
The Four Pillars of Purpose Driven Engagement
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pillars_for_purposeful_engagement.pdf | |
File Size: | 15 kb |
File Type: |
Cynefin
Applications of Cynefin:
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Movement Break: lead by Josh
"There is something natural in us that needs to shake." -Tenneson
Powerful Questions
The right question can change the conversation. Kim shared the following thoughts on powerful questions:
Pocket Questions we developed:
For more information on Powerful Questions, visit: http://tennesonwoolf.com/wp_2013/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Power-of-a-Good-Question.pdf
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Check-Out: Six Word Stories
Connecting and weaving to move through | Trust, communication, right tool, right situation | Cautious Inquisitive Reflective Complicated Empathetic Play-Doh | Pausing, reflecting to achieve great insights | We all have something to offer | We have very much in common | Charting new territories...Moral logic prevails | Stretching, expanding to fill the possibility | Interesting hearing colleagues' histories and passions | Consistent Engagement + Powerful Questions = Shared Success | Learn to use; Use to Learn | Ask questions. Break habits. Accept Failure. | Think before I move; expect complications | Great reminders for not going it alone | Learning about each other and ourselves | Ideas Create Relationships Questions Connect Solutions | Listening Hosting Learning Challenging Laughing Belly | Informative, talkative, engaging and interesting day | Absorb knowledge Stay interested Have fun | Build relationships with curious questions, simple | Adventure Experience Learning Challenge Growth Humility | Open curious, sorting inspired, present harvesting | Sunshine, rainbows, unicorns = pots of gold | Going inside talking, listening going outside | Listening and learning to help improve | Mindfulness cataloging learnings for future engagement | Communication Curiosity Questions Collaboration Trust Openness | My fiddlehead relaxes, emerges into space | fern fronds unfold, new ways emerge | Deeper Connection People Work Self Appreciation | Learning together is a core competency | Authentic, insightful ponderings. Room for more???