Phoenix Conversations Networking Call #5 March 03, 2008
Access Privileges
Access is currently restricted to the following group(s):
Phoenix Conversations Networking Call #5 March 03, 2008
Participants:
Rocky Willson; Seattle, WA
I am working on developing a network with representatives from other organizations in our area. I am calling it the “1st Step Coalition”. The purpose of it is to help groups that are working on meaningful issues, be able to network with one another. That way, whenever a call for action is necessary, we will have a network in place to get the word out about what is going on. What I would like from this conversation, is the opportunity to make contacts with others.
I have also been a member of the Seattle Peak Oil Awareness Group for two years. Many of us have started gardens, and take turns working in each other’s gardens while we discuss these things. We also have folks who have been investing based on our awareness of potential crises. Many folks are focused on preparedness, by storing food and tradable commodities.
Larry Victor; Tucson, AZ
Many things seem to be happening rapidly. I’m sad to see that the Storyfield Conference for next year has been canceled. I was afraid this would happen; there was a lot of euphoria in the face-to-face celebration, while the online activity afterward struggled to continue the energy and eventually fizzled. There is a need for more integration between synchronous communication & asynchronous, and I feel this will be more & more critical in the future. I recently read “Shock Doctrine” by Naomi Klein, and I highly recommend it. It offers an enhanced picture of the economic war that I feel has been going on in the last 4 decades, as corporate structures take over by stepping in after disasters.
I feel that we need a number of parallel plans of operation – for example we need to develop plans for how we plan to communicate if somehow don’t have online communication, while at same time continuing our work on alternative ways of organizing. I appreciate the work that NCDD is doing. What I’d like to take away from this call, is more information about what other people are doing.
Deb MacNamara, Northwest Institue, Portland, OR
I am the national outreach coordinator for Nortwest Earth Institute. We have a format that encourages people to gather together in small groups using our study guides. We have seven study guides for small groups, and all of them suggest things that people can do together, to build community and engaging in practical actions at a neighborhood level. This includes things such as community gardens, seed sharing, seed saving, coming together to think about practical needs and come up with creative solutions.
Our study guides invite people to get together for 8 meetings, and include some challenging readings that help people examine, question, and reflect on their values.
I am here to learn more about Phoenix Conversations and how NWEI might participate or be a resource for your work.
Judy Wallace, Glouster MA
My work involves creating conversations, hosting conversations, and participating in conversations. One of the current events I am working on, is being part of the hosting team for an upcoming “Art of Hosting” training in Essex, MA. This upcoming workshop will be focused on the question of ‘how do we build communities?’ and what kinds of conversations are needed for that. Berkana, Meg Wheatley’s organization, is sponsoring this work.
A lot of what I’m doing now involves bringing women together. I’m also involved in a Gardners of Peace group. We work from a spiritual perspective, and usually begin with silence. I see conversations as “the art form of the future”. The takeaway for me, is whatever emerges from the conversation.
Jan Inglis, Nelson, BC
I’m interested in how we build and deepen conversation. I have been working on deliberative processes designed to deal with complex public issues. It’s an integral process that lets people look at the big issues, create agreement on where to focus, deliberate to see the tradeoffs, and engage in coordinated action. I am attracted to the question of, “What forms of public interaction do we need to have, that are up to the challenges that we face?” I’ve written an article on how to match our public interactions, to to the challenges we’re facing. We need a process that holds our interactions, and allows us to weigh things out & make choices.
I have also been working with people, using the videos from Inconvenient Truth, What a Way To Go, etc. I am concerned with what happens if we just watch this material and then go our separate ways, what may be going on inside people… people building up fear or discouragement or splitting off since it is all so enormous. And so I am really feeling the need to set up forums, where we can frame ways to consider this enormous challenge.
Themes from the Conversation:
Going deeper…
1. How do we go deeper in our conversations on these issues?
2. Having process agreements can allow us to explore some of our assumptions, which we need to do in order to work with diversity.
3. Having a generative question planned ahead of time can allow us to go deeper. It can serve as a “backup” theme or topic, in case something doesn’t emerge from the group itself.
4. There is a need to acknowledge the paradoxes in this work. We need to focus in on the specifics, and at the same time, also expand on the larger picture. We need to be able to go back and forth. We to mobilize large parts of the population and we don’t know how to do that.
5. Our current level of conversations in general, are “Kitty-Hawk”; they are very important to be having, and they can also feel very limiting, given the initial stages we are in currently..
Clarifying our purpose here…
6. The goal of these networking calls is fairly modest and limited, given that we are intentionally creating a “drop-in” network where each time it may be a partially or entirely new set of people on the call.
7. There are lots of people doing good work and good thinking in this area, and the purpose is to have a place where people can connect, hear one another’s voices, explore whatever topic feels alive for them after the initial check-in.
8. After the conference call, we hope people might follow up with one or more people from the phone call, if they are inspired to do so – for example, if some area of common interest or shared projects emerge.
Learning together…
9. When we come together like this, there is the possibility to explore together; we’re apprentices, learning something we don’t really know how to do… to come together in a meaningful way, explore the insights that emerge.
10. One thing that can helps us be in a learning mode, is to have a “checkout”, where we explore what we learned from the conversation, and from the process of how the conversation went. This helps keep the learning aspect alive.
11. Another resource for this is “Action Inquiry”, by William Torbert. It’s a good resource for understanding how inquiry becomes action, and also the gaps between what we’re intending and what we’re doing.
Challenges in reaching out to others…
12. Sometimes people talk about spirituality and emotionality as part of the solution, but they also seem to be part of the problem. Some of our neighbors don’t want to hear about any of this. It can be hard to get them to see that this is real. Whereas others think that this is the apocalypse we’ve all been waiting for…
13. How much diversity is too much, when we are attemptiing to communicate with others? When is diversity a good thing, and when is it just stretching us too much?
Helpful theories and approaches…
14. There is a wonderful theory that may be relevant here, “the wave theory of change”. Everett M. Rogers describes how we are all in different places with regard to the diffusion of innovation. And so we can reframe our role as NOT “having to push the whole wave”, but instead, learning from people who are a little ahead of us & passing on our learning to those people who are a little behind us. This is analogous to the physics of how a whole wave moves forward: each molecule of water, is only affecting those on either side of it...
15. It also helps to emphasize the “opportunity” that is on the other side of, whatever “catastrophes” may be coming down the pipe… it’s a more positive approach.
16. Another viable strategy is helping small groups form, get together to engage on the issues of our time. Small groups have a better chance of engaging in transformative dialogue and shared action at the local level, for example getting together to explore issues of food security in their community.
17. Small groups are also helpful, for folks who are interested, yet don’t know where to start engaging these issues.
Differences in temperament…
18. Some people are more action oriented than others… when they “get” an issue, their response is “we’ve got to do something here: let’s go for it, take some action”. Others may be so busy, that it’s easier to pretend that the issue doesn’t exist, until there is readiness to put some time into contemplating it: what does this mean in my life? ‘I have to slow down enough to actually contemplate what this means’.
19. This may be related to different nervous system responses…whenever a crisis or catastrophy comes up; some people tend to respond by doing something, whether it’s running away or doing something active. Others will tend to shut down instead.
Need for coordinated public action…
20. With regard to things like climate change, there is a need to move toward deliberative dialogue, to reach agreement on the community decisions that need to be made for coordinated action to take place. Hosting structured meetings for 2-3 hours of public deliberation where these issues are unpacked, allows people weigh the costs and consequences and deal with issues. Some people may respond more to this kind of approach, since the action steps that come out of it can be very tangible and specific.
21. People are still at the initial stages of realizing the need for these kinds of processes. Many public officials are still wanting to do a “quick-fix”, and don’t yet appreciate the need for a more complex mapping process with several stages. We are still in the process of educating people on the need for this kind of approach. Resources on these kinds of public processes are available at global-arena.org and integrated-learninginstitute.com.
Working at multiple levels…
22. Things need to be happening at different levells, including neighborhood learning/support/action groups at the small group level, and coordinated public action at the town hall / municipality level…
23. Many different types of responses are needed, for many different kinds of people. We have our work cut out for us!
And beyond!
24. It’s also important to think about, what are the kinds of things that need to be doing, that nobody is doing yet? Also, to ask ourselves questions like, what would we do, if we were successful and everybody DID “get it” all of a sudden? What would we do with all of those people who are awakened to the urgency of the situation? If all the “bad guys” suddenly “went away”, what would things look like? What kind of global system for humanity are we going to create?
25. To go deeper, one important question to consider is, “what are the conversations we need to be having, so that our conversations can lead to action?” (This is also an encouragement, for people to connect with and follow up with one another afterward, as inspired…)
26. While these conversations are a “network”, not a “group”, part of the purpose of a network is to serve as a matrix that can give rise to many groups. In addition to connecting with others informally and exchanging resources, people can also extend invitations: “I’m starting this kind of group; would anyone like to join me?”
Participants:
Rocky Willson; Seattle, WA
I am working on developing a network with representatives from other organizations in our area. I am calling it the “1st Step Coalition”. The purpose of it is to help groups that are working on meaningful issues, be able to network with one another. That way, whenever a call for action is necessary, we will have a network in place to get the word out about what is going on. What I would like from this conversation, is the opportunity to make contacts with others.
I have also been a member of the Seattle Peak Oil Awareness Group for two years. Many of us have started gardens, and take turns working in each other’s gardens while we discuss these things. We also have folks who have been investing based on our awareness of potential crises. Many folks are focused on preparedness, by storing food and tradable commodities.
Larry Victor; Tucson, AZ
Many things seem to be happening rapidly. I’m sad to see that the Storyfield Conference for next year has been canceled. I was afraid this would happen; there was a lot of euphoria in the face-to-face celebration, while the online activity afterward struggled to continue the energy and eventually fizzled. There is a need for more integration between synchronous communication & asynchronous, and I feel this will be more & more critical in the future. I recently read “Shock Doctrine” by Naomi Klein, and I highly recommend it. It offers an enhanced picture of the economic war that I feel has been going on in the last 4 decades, as corporate structures take over by stepping in after disasters.
I feel that we need a number of parallel plans of operation – for example we need to develop plans for how we plan to communicate if somehow don’t have online communication, while at same time continuing our work on alternative ways of organizing. I appreciate the work that NCDD is doing. What I’d like to take away from this call, is more information about what other people are doing.
Deb MacNamara, Northwest Institue, Portland, OR
I am the national outreach coordinator for Nortwest Earth Institute. We have a format that encourages people to gather together in small groups using our study guides. We have seven study guides for small groups, and all of them suggest things that people can do together, to build community and engaging in practical actions at a neighborhood level. This includes things such as community gardens, seed sharing, seed saving, coming together to think about practical needs and come up with creative solutions.
Our study guides invite people to get together for 8 meetings, and include some challenging readings that help people examine, question, and reflect on their values.
I am here to learn more about Phoenix Conversations and how NWEI might participate or be a resource for your work.
Judy Wallace, Glouster MA
My work involves creating conversations, hosting conversations, and participating in conversations. One of the current events I am working on, is being part of the hosting team for an upcoming “Art of Hosting” training in Essex, MA. This upcoming workshop will be focused on the question of ‘how do we build communities?’ and what kinds of conversations are needed for that. Berkana, Meg Wheatley’s organization, is sponsoring this work.
A lot of what I’m doing now involves bringing women together. I’m also involved in a Gardners of Peace group. We work from a spiritual perspective, and usually begin with silence. I see conversations as “the art form of the future”. The takeaway for me, is whatever emerges from the conversation.
Jan Inglis, Nelson, BC
I’m interested in how we build and deepen conversation. I have been working on deliberative processes designed to deal with complex public issues. It’s an integral process that lets people look at the big issues, create agreement on where to focus, deliberate to see the tradeoffs, and engage in coordinated action. I am attracted to the question of, “What forms of public interaction do we need to have, that are up to the challenges that we face?” I’ve written an article on how to match our public interactions, to to the challenges we’re facing. We need a process that holds our interactions, and allows us to weigh things out & make choices.
I have also been working with people, using the videos from Inconvenient Truth, What a Way To Go, etc. I am concerned with what happens if we just watch this material and then go our separate ways, what may be going on inside people… people building up fear or discouragement or splitting off since it is all so enormous. And so I am really feeling the need to set up forums, where we can frame ways to consider this enormous challenge.
Themes from the Conversation:
Going deeper…
1. How do we go deeper in our conversations on these issues?
2. Having process agreements can allow us to explore some of our assumptions, which we need to do in order to work with diversity.
3. Having a generative question planned ahead of time can allow us to go deeper. It can serve as a “backup” theme or topic, in case something doesn’t emerge from the group itself.
4. There is a need to acknowledge the paradoxes in this work. We need to focus in on the specifics, and at the same time, also expand on the larger picture. We need to be able to go back and forth. We to mobilize large parts of the population and we don’t know how to do that.
5. Our current level of conversations in general, are “Kitty-Hawk”; they are very important to be having, and they can also feel very limiting, given the initial stages we are in currently..
Clarifying our purpose here…
6. The goal of these networking calls is fairly modest and limited, given that we are intentionally creating a “drop-in” network where each time it may be a partially or entirely new set of people on the call.
7. There are lots of people doing good work and good thinking in this area, and the purpose is to have a place where people can connect, hear one another’s voices, explore whatever topic feels alive for them after the initial check-in.
8. After the conference call, we hope people might follow up with one or more people from the phone call, if they are inspired to do so – for example, if some area of common interest or shared projects emerge.
Learning together…
9. When we come together like this, there is the possibility to explore together; we’re apprentices, learning something we don’t really know how to do… to come together in a meaningful way, explore the insights that emerge.
10. One thing that can helps us be in a learning mode, is to have a “checkout”, where we explore what we learned from the conversation, and from the process of how the conversation went. This helps keep the learning aspect alive.
11. Another resource for this is “Action Inquiry”, by William Torbert. It’s a good resource for understanding how inquiry becomes action, and also the gaps between what we’re intending and what we’re doing.
Challenges in reaching out to others…
12. Sometimes people talk about spirituality and emotionality as part of the solution, but they also seem to be part of the problem. Some of our neighbors don’t want to hear about any of this. It can be hard to get them to see that this is real. Whereas others think that this is the apocalypse we’ve all been waiting for…
13. How much diversity is too much, when we are attemptiing to communicate with others? When is diversity a good thing, and when is it just stretching us too much?
Helpful theories and approaches…
14. There is a wonderful theory that may be relevant here, “the wave theory of change”. Everett M. Rogers describes how we are all in different places with regard to the diffusion of innovation. And so we can reframe our role as NOT “having to push the whole wave”, but instead, learning from people who are a little ahead of us & passing on our learning to those people who are a little behind us. This is analogous to the physics of how a whole wave moves forward: each molecule of water, is only affecting those on either side of it...
15. It also helps to emphasize the “opportunity” that is on the other side of, whatever “catastrophes” may be coming down the pipe… it’s a more positive approach.
16. Another viable strategy is helping small groups form, get together to engage on the issues of our time. Small groups have a better chance of engaging in transformative dialogue and shared action at the local level, for example getting together to explore issues of food security in their community.
17. Small groups are also helpful, for folks who are interested, yet don’t know where to start engaging these issues.
Differences in temperament…
18. Some people are more action oriented than others… when they “get” an issue, their response is “we’ve got to do something here: let’s go for it, take some action”. Others may be so busy, that it’s easier to pretend that the issue doesn’t exist, until there is readiness to put some time into contemplating it: what does this mean in my life? ‘I have to slow down enough to actually contemplate what this means’.
19. This may be related to different nervous system responses…whenever a crisis or catastrophy comes up; some people tend to respond by doing something, whether it’s running away or doing something active. Others will tend to shut down instead.
Need for coordinated public action…
20. With regard to things like climate change, there is a need to move toward deliberative dialogue, to reach agreement on the community decisions that need to be made for coordinated action to take place. Hosting structured meetings for 2-3 hours of public deliberation where these issues are unpacked, allows people weigh the costs and consequences and deal with issues. Some people may respond more to this kind of approach, since the action steps that come out of it can be very tangible and specific.
21. People are still at the initial stages of realizing the need for these kinds of processes. Many public officials are still wanting to do a “quick-fix”, and don’t yet appreciate the need for a more complex mapping process with several stages. We are still in the process of educating people on the need for this kind of approach. Resources on these kinds of public processes are available at global-arena.org and integrated-learninginstitute.com.
Working at multiple levels…
22. Things need to be happening at different levells, including neighborhood learning/support/action groups at the small group level, and coordinated public action at the town hall / municipality level…
23. Many different types of responses are needed, for many different kinds of people. We have our work cut out for us!
And beyond!
24. It’s also important to think about, what are the kinds of things that need to be doing, that nobody is doing yet? Also, to ask ourselves questions like, what would we do, if we were successful and everybody DID “get it” all of a sudden? What would we do with all of those people who are awakened to the urgency of the situation? If all the “bad guys” suddenly “went away”, what would things look like? What kind of global system for humanity are we going to create?
25. To go deeper, one important question to consider is, “what are the conversations we need to be having, so that our conversations can lead to action?” (This is also an encouragement, for people to connect with and follow up with one another afterward, as inspired…)
26. While these conversations are a “network”, not a “group”, part of the purpose of a network is to serve as a matrix that can give rise to many groups. In addition to connecting with others informally and exchanging resources, people can also extend invitations: “I’m starting this kind of group; would anyone like to join me?”
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