Most meetings involve getting to the meeting, having the meeting and then leaving. We pay little attention to how we arrive or how we leave; we zip in and out. This business as usual practice minimizes our attention to the topic and people at the meetings we attend and what we can accomplish.
Read MoreThe energetic pattern of a gathering, both in how we design them ahead of time, or the dynamics during the gathering, need our constant attention. One of the ways I keep an eye on things is to ask: are we aiming to fix or improve?
Read MoreHave you ever landed in the expert trap? I was really stuck a couple years ago: I started talking and talking and talking, not leaving any room for anyone else.
Read MoreMy favourite fire chief had a split personality. He recognized and practiced two kinds of meetings with his staff in the fire department: the ones where instruction are issued and the ones where the team sits back to listen to their own wisdom and then act accordingly.
Read MoreI caused a disturbance a few years ago. Near the beginning of a three day meeting of a community I am part of I spoke up, as a participant, and named a harmful and racist practice in which many of the group were participating.
Read MoreYou know that feeling, when a gathering or meeting just isn’t going as well as it should? When something feels off but we just can’t quite put our finger on it? It might be a wobbly because people are not clear on what I call the “hosting pattern” for the gathering.
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