| CLUES on CONVERSATIONS |
A guidebook for people facilitating
Conversations and Actions for the 21st Century
- FIRST VERSION - FOR FURTHER DEVELOPEMENT - |
People of action often say, "Don’t just talk, get out there and do something".
Perhaps better advice is, "Don’t just do something, get out there and talk".
- Willis Harman, 1987
FOREWORD
This booklet is the first draft of a developing document planned to serve as a general working guide for the facilitation and testing of a range of conversation processes and styles aimed at creating a better future.
An invitation is extended to all to participate in their trialing and development.
Feedback is sought on how well the processes worked and what actions and initiatives they led to.
Recommendations for improvement of the processes as well as the introductory guideline notes are welcome.
The booklet does not contain an exhaustive range of processes. There is considerable scope for the development of new and better ones. Anyone who has developed and tested a process or who knows of one substantially different from those included here is invited to let us know so that it may be included in the next version.
We look forward to your involvement in reworking tomorrow.
Howard Nielsen and Richard Mochelle
September 1998
Acknowledgements
Our thanks to the Reworking Tomorrow group in Queensland for helping develop and practice some of the processes included here. Alan Stewart from Adelaide and Rodney Vlais from Western Australia contributed significant sections, particularly regarding conversations as energisers, passion cafes and one-to-one conversations.
Thanks also to Pamela Webb and Susan St Lawrence from Victoria who provided insights and constructive comment on this first draft.
Special thanks to the Brisbane Education Centre for supporting the whole project.
Contents
Underlying messages of Reworking Tomorrow
How conversations fit Reworking Tomorrow
Conversations as the energisers of new ways of being and doing
Reworking Tomorrow Contact
There are many people involved in the Reworking Tomorrow movement.
Richard Mochelle and Howard Nielsen have worked on this handbook with a fair bit of help and inspiration from others.
Richard and Howard may be contacted on:
Across our country and the world, people are seeing the need to talk and act to create a high quality of life for all of us and particularly our children and grandchildren.
Perplexed and challenged by the direction our world seems to be taking, people everywhere are appreciating the need to talk and act together if a better future is to be realised. Growing numbers of people are suspecting that the problems will not be resolvable within the current framework of thinking and decision making. People are exploring the possibilities for fundamentally different directions.
Reworking Tomorrow is the banner taken up by these thousands of Australians who are responding to the challenge for fundamental change and are questioning the wisdom of current assumptions about the way we live our lives.
There are many initiatives which are bringing people together to develop the new attitudes and actions needed for a more sustainable, secure, just and peaceful future. People are discovering that the reworking needed will depend on the mature participation, decisions and skills of every person rather than on experts and professionals alone.
We have asked Robert Theobald, named as one of the world’s most influential futurists by the Encyclopedia of the Future, to work with us to help stimulate widespread participation by people in conversations and actions for the future.
The three key elements of Reworking Tomorrow activities are :
This overall effort will link people and organisations which are all working toward a better future for all of us. We cannot anticipate the specific results of this approach, but we are convinced that it will make visible the fact that there already are many thought-through alternatives to failing policies and practices. Reworking Tomorrow is offering a means by which all Australian are able to make a difference.
Clues on Conversations is a guide for people facilitating Conversations and Actions for the 21st Century and is designed as a basic menu rather than a detailed guide. Clues on Conversations describes some ways of getting people to talk. Those who would like to facilitate these conversations are invited to take part in "Getting Started" Workshops which add detail and depth to this guide.
The ideas of many people are reflected in those put forward by Robert Theobald who echoes the words of many other speakers and authors in Australia and the world. These messages are the focus for the conversations and actions which are a part of Reworking Tomorrow.
How Conversations fit Reworking Tomorrow
The challenge of Reworking Tomorrow is to engage the broadest cross section of people in Conversations and Actions for the 21st century.
The extent to which we can facilitate Australia engaging in discussion about what change they want and how they can get it to happen will be the real test.
Reworking Tomorrow has:
The conversations process is in many ways the key strategy. People who feel alone with their ideas and concerns need to link with others. The movement relies on people being able to tune into both the "music" and the "words" of Reworking Tomorrow.
As people come out of the woodwork the Reworking Tomorrow networking system will enable them to connect to one or all of the following; conversation group, email list, or paper based databases. This handbook focusses on facilitation of the conversations process.
There are various ways in which people will prefer that their conversations will be conducted. Some will prefer open, constructive conversations without rules and without facilitators. Others will prefer more structured conversations with clear goals and process rules. Some will want to focus on specific local or national issues while others will want to address the global system as a whole.
The remainder of this guidebook provides a general outline of some of the process options available.
The guidelines are based on a number of assumptions, namely, that Reworking Tomorrow style conversation processes should be:
Conversation as the energiser of new ways of being and new ways of doing
Conversation has always been the starting point for new ideas, new ways of being and new ways of doing. Circles of small groups genuinely concerned about questions that mattered to their common future have for centuries been the focal point for bringing about change.
From circles of elders around ancient campfires to the conversations in the Cafes and salons that spawned the French Revolution, people have always gathered for real conversation about questions that matter.
In those times and places where innovation is born other simple conditions are also present. In addition to pursuit of a question that really matters and commitment to creating the space and time to explore it, it is crucial that mutual listening and a spirit of discovery infuse the conversations. A certain type of "magic" appears—the magic of a new collective intelligence arising from the individual minds present in the conversation. The wisdom needed to address the concerns of any group is already "in the middle of the circle" waiting to be tapped.
These webs of conversations and the action commitments that naturally arise from them can serve as the energy generator, the amplifier, the core unit of change force for co-evolving the future in any system.
Conversation in daily life
Conversation is funny stuff. It is a way of creating a shared place that can be used for many different purposes. How we use language, and other means, to communicate with those around us makes the world, for us, the way it is.
It is one of the main ways by which we learn from each other. We engage in it to inform ourselves and others that it’s time to do things differently. Through conversation we can also know that we are doing things OK. We can also come to a sense of "We’re in this together."
It is much more than ‘just talk’ for it is in and through conversation that we ask the questions that help us work out what is important. Questions that lead us to experiment and take good risks. For if we are to remain alert to opportunities to undertake ‘change for the better’ we have to ‘let go’ of beliefs and patterns that hold us back.
The dance of conversation
Would it help to keep us on our toes if we felt we were participating in a dance?
The term conversation means interacting with others -– and with ourselves –- as if in a dance. The word comes from the Latin con versare – ‘to turn’ or ‘to dance’ together. How’s that for a lively image? Conversation is entering a dance about something.
It is not ‘just idle chat.’ It is about coming together for a purpose. It is about talking and listening with an end point, an intent, in mind. It is about sharing stories that build respect. It is about a way for people to know that their contribution of ideas is valued. It is a way of building healthy relationships that are at the heart of a happy place.
Yet not all of us are born with dancing skills. Just as dance requires learning and development of skills, so does conversations. This may even apply more to Reworking Tomorrow conversations, in which serious differences of belief and attitude are likely to come to the surface. Such conversations may not always be relaxing and happy; they will at times be emotionally gripping, charged and personally challenging. At these dramatic moments, the art of conversational dance will be tested.
Listening
When we listen to someone’s story, such as what they did on the weekend, it builds trust and leads to people saying more about their ideas and passions. Without conversation there is no trust; without trust there is no expression of passion; without this there is no change. All then is done according to the rules and regulations.
‘When you listen to somebody else, whether you like it or not, what they say becomes a part of you..... the common pool is created, where people begin suspending their own opinions and listening to other people’s .... At some point people begin recognising that the common pool is more important than their separate pools.’
David Bohm
Listening is critical to being in the dance. We tend to forget that listening is a skill that needs sharpening every now and then to maintain in good working order. We habitually assume that, "When I say something to the person in front of me then the person will listen and understand precisely what I have in mind."
We do well to remember that:
- Said is not heard
- Heard is not understood
- Understood is not agreed to
- Agreed to is not carried out
- Carried out is not adhered to.
- Konrad Lorenz
- ‘To my children and workmates.’
Spoken words are often not understood by two people in the same way. How often have you listened to someone and then gone to do that which you understood – and then realized that you had not fully comprehended the instructions?
Would you agree that the key to good listening skills is to be aware of the assumptions we – and others make – in talking with each other? And that we need to listen carefully not to the words we hear but to the meaning behind the words.
You may wish to use ideas in this book to engage in conversation and see what happens to the spirit of the people around you – and your own!
The everyday practice of respectful conversation is the means to free ourselves to become who we are.
BEFORE READING ON .... an invitation
Some of the nine conversation styles we’ve included so far are summaries of processes which some may otherwise call workshops, meetings or discussion groups.
These summaries are the tip of the iceberg and we invite you to take part in "Getting Started" workshops if you feel the need to gain broader experience with handling any conversational style which is new to you.
We invite you also to give feedback regarding your experiences with these styles so that we can add to future versions of "Clues on Conversations". You may like to contribute something totally new which you have inverted or come across to our next version.
Purpose
The Appreciative Inquiry approach is designed to gain agreement on action to be taken by focussing initially on the best aspects of previous activity.
General background
Some of the assumptions underlying the Appreciative Inquiry approach are that:
How to support the Appreciative Inquiry approach
General description of the process
The phases involved in Appreciative Inquiry are:
Appreciative Inquiry may be conducted over a number of workshops or in one continuous workshop.
Rolling workshops may be preferable as it allows reflection time. However, gaining continuous participation from people may be difficult if using a rolling workshop approach.
In summary, the process moves from one-to-one interviews through a series of small group and whole group discussions leading to "the best of what is", some "provocative propositions" about the future and some "doing it" action plans.
Number of people
Any number from 2 upward! Half a dozen or more is recommended.
Best sites
Any quiet site where its possible to post opinions and plans onto boards, doors, walls, windows or screens etc.
On-site process
1. General chat, drinks and clarification of the process and finishing time
2. One-to-one interviews of about 10 minutes each on "a time when I felt that I was a part of reworking things for a better future"
3. Interviewers (ees) tell each other’s story to the group
4. Underlying characteristics which seemed (from people’s stories) to support good reworking actions are draws from the discussion
5. People use these characteristics to dream up "provocative propositions" about the future. They are put in the present tense and involve the person themselves in some action
6. The propositions are debated and people agree on those to be aspired towards
7. People with common aspirations use the propositions as the focus of their action plan for the future
8. Plans are shared, discussed, refined and summarised
9. People agree to meet in either or both their small action groups and the larger group to give ongoing support and reflect on their actions and outcomes.
For example, an Appreciative Inquiry workshop focussed on learning may be held at a schools with a dozen or more parents, teachers and students involved over 2 or 3 hour sessions.
Purpose
The Benchmarks for Life approach is designed to identify specific benchmarks by which our society appears to live and which we suspect are causing serious problems, so that we can propose new benchmarks and ways of reaching them. Alternatively, you may choose to focus on ‘ethics’ or ‘norms’ or "assumption" rather than benchmarks... therefore ‘Ethics for Life’ or ‘Norms for Life’ etc may be the title.
General background
The assumption here is that while we may often talk about what’s wrong and what "should be" we sometimes find it difficult to identify precisely what it is we’d like to change.
This process focusses on the identification of those community benchmarks (or ethics or norms or assumptions) which are getting in the way of the change we’d like to see.
We then spend whatever time is needed to identify ways of changing those benchmarks we have identified and agreed upon.
How to support Benchmarks for Life
General process
The process is best done in small groups and may be of greater benefit when the general focus is identified before-hand. That is ... learning or health or leadership or environment etc may be decided as the main topic.
People will identify the symptoms they believe exist and trace them back to the benchmarks (or norms etc) which seem to support those symptoms. Plans for action are then identified to change the benchmarks.
Number of people
At least 3-4 people in a group would provide good interaction and mixture of insights.
Best sites
This approach could be used anywhere that ideas can be posted for discussion, reflection and action.
On-site process
- What are some examples of the issue
- More specifically the issue seems to be
- Who's aware of the issue
- Who's concerned about the issue
- Who own's the issue
- What factors are inhibiting action to resolve the issue
- What opportunity for action do we have
- More specifically, what action steps should we take
- Summary
- Signposts for the future
Focus Group - Inventing the future
Purpose
Focus groups may be used to identify personal ‘wants’ for the future and to establish plans for achieving these.
General background
The assumption here is that everyone has some ideas and insights about what they want. The process is suited to being conducted as part of a larger conference or workshop.
This is a no frills approach which uses people’s insights and desires as the focal point.
How to run an Inventing the Future Focus Group
General description of the process
The process focusses firstly on people’s desires for the future by using their grandchildren as the point of aspiration.
People also define things they’d like to keep at all costs as well as things they’d like to change at all costs. This helps to sort out the real wants.
People identify actions to achieve these wants, including how they should be involved.
Number of people
Minimum group size of 4 is recommended although individuals could easily use the process as a means of reflecting on their aspirations for the future.
Best sites
Focus groups could be used anywhere that ideas can be posted on walls, windows etc.
On-site process
- What's the general issue
What are some examples of the issue More specifically the issue seems to be Who's aware of the issue Who's concerned about the issue Who own's the issue What factors are inhibiting action to resolve the issue What opportunity for action do we have More specifically, what action steps should we take Summary Signposts for the future
Purpose
Open Space Technology (OST) is a respectful way of bringing people together to express what they see is important in the handling of complex issues.
It frees people to do what comes naturally and it becomes the context in which new ideas are generated.
It uncovers the people with passion about important issues and questions who are willing to provide leadership and exercise their sense of accountability.
General background
Some of the principles which underly OST
- Whoever comes is the right people
- Whatever happens is the only thing that could happen
- Whenever it starts is the right time
- When it’s over it’s over
- Follow your feet wherever they lead you in the moment.
And there is a prerequisite of those who come: be prepared to be surprised and open to experiences of high learning, high play and high productivity.
What’s in store?
Curious about what to expect in this kind of meeting? It would be surprising if you weren’t!
The statements above give a clue to what happens when people are invited to participate in an Open Space Technology meeting. While this may sound somewhat esoteric, it’s actually a simple way to achieve extraordinarily practical results.
An open space meeting is to examine complex, and sometimes conflicted, questions. There are no planned panel discussions and plenary sessions. There is no preset agenda other than the topic previously agreed to and the time allotted for the meeting.
Nobody knows what the answers are, for they are the product of the conversations that occur during the event and of reflecting on the outcomes and the experiencing of being in Open Space.
How to support an Open Space Technology process
What takes place in the meeting?
The meeting starts and ends in a circle: an open, permeable circle. Together with a market place and self generated groups, this represent the fundamental way in which we gather to communicate and learn from each other.
The agenda is created by all participants taking the opportunity to nominate issues that they are passionate about and are prepared to take responsibility for, and to offer them to a marketplace for consideration.
Participants then choose which sessions to attend and the meeting is underway! At the end of the allotted time, the participants re-convene to share insights from the event.
What happens afterwards?
The reports of every small group discussion are the proceedings of the meeting. These proceedings, owned by all present, become the foundation for later decision making. Most tangible is widespread ownership of possible solutions and associated action plans.
In a curious way Open Space always seems to work. Often reported outcomes are release of ideas and creativity that nobody knew were there, self managed work teams, distributed leadership, a spirit of ongoing learning, greatly increased levels of productivity and experiences of high playfulness and FUN.
Who facilitates this kind of gathering?
A list of people in Australia experienced in facilitating OST can be obtained from Fr Brian Bainbridge, convenor of the Open Space Institute of Australia. Brian can be contacted at briansb@mira.net. More information on OST may be found at www.geocities.com/Athens/Oracle/9215 or by contacting the author of this piece Alan Stewart, PhD, Adelaide, email: pcams@flinders.edu.au, ph: 08 8232 6393 or fax: 08 8232 0241.
(Material here has been developed from "Australians for Reconciliation Study Circle Kit", produced by the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation)
Purpose
Study Circles provide the opportunity for informed discussion and action on focussed issues so that more empowered decisions can be made about action for the future.
General background
A group of people is sitting around a table, a meeting room or a friend’s loungeroom. As one is speaking, someone else is jotting down notes, several others are waiting to make their points, another is skimming through the readings looking for a point, a facilitator is watching the whole group and the rest are listening quietly. This is a Study Circle in action.
The Study Circle give people the chance to grapple with issues, knowledge, experience and aspirations for the future.
A Study Circle is a way for large numbers of people to join in the process of making their future on their own terms and in their own way. It is democratic, in that is listens to all views, it debates their various merits; and it empowers its members to act, as they see fit, on the basis of the new knowledge that this process generates.
It involves also a focus on specific information such as articles, books or ideas which are distributed by agreement amongst the group.
How to support a Study Circle
General description of the process
In a Study Circle, groups of around 5-15 meet regularly to learn about and discuss issues of important to them and society.
They learn at their own pace, drawing on their own experiences and understandings, without a lecturer or an expert ‘running the show’.
Sessions last around 2 hours, guided by a facilitator (discussion leader or chairperson), one of the group nominated to keep discussion focussed and fair. Participants usually do about an hour’s worth of reading or research between sessions to provide them with the ‘raw material’ for discussion.
Number of people
Four or more people would be needed for discussion to be of optimum benefit.
Best sites
Any site which is quiet and relaxed and able to seat people comfortably.
On-site process
Purpose
Backcasting asks people to describe the preferred future at a particular point in time and supports them in deciding how to enable that desired future to materialise.
General background
This process is designed so that we are able to overlook the forecasts people make about the future and concentrate more on making the future rather than waiting for it.
It invites people to be optimistic and positive as well as to be respectful of the realities of life and the needs of others.
How to support a Backcasting process
Number of people
At least 4 people would make for interesting interaction and reflection although individuals could use the process by themselves.
Best site
Whenever ideas can be shared and posted on walls, screens etc.
On-site process
- the main issues surrounding the achievement of these visions
- the factors most likely to affect the achievement of the visions
- people most likely to effect the achievement of the visions
- actions most likely to influence the achievement of the visions.
- What's the general issue
- What are some examples of the issue
- More specifically the issue seems to be
- Who's aware of the issue
- Who's concerned about the issue
- Who own's the issue
- What factors are inhibiting action to resolve the issue
- What opportunity for action do we have
- More specifically, what action steps should we take
- Summary
- Signposts for the future
The Passion Cafe is more an environment than a process and it is included here because it has proven to be very successful in energising conversations and actions.
Purpose
Looking for a way to promote lively interaction among participants when exploring serious or fun topics? A Passion Cafe creates the ambiance for spirited conversation on virtually any issue that people want to discuss.
How to support a Passion Cafe
The Passion Cafe is conducted with tables, chairs, and supplies, each table has a number and smaller pieces of paper available on the tables. The chairs can be set up in a large circle as people enter the room or in clusters around the tables.
As people enter the room the music is lively and a sign welcomes them to the Passion Cafe. The hostess asks everyone to be seated and suggests that many people have a subject they feel passionately about (related to the theme topic of the event). Anyone who wants to suggest a topic for discussion takes a piece of paper from any table and writes their "passion" in one sentence.
The host then invites each person to read their passion and write a number on it that relates to the number of one of the tables. The passion statements are then posted on a wall. When their is a passion statement with a number for each table, the host invites everyone to look at the statements, select a topic and sit at the corresponding table. If more than six people select the same topic, they simply form two or more groups.
The Cafe then begins. When the topics are selected in such a manner it is best not to ask people to move from table to table but rather to encourage them to pursue their passions — adding that anyone who wishes to can and move to a new table at any point during the event. You can end the Cafe by asking each table to report briefly to the whole group on the most useful or exciting insights they experienced.
With acknowledgments to Nancy Margulies, Juanita Brown and Dr Alan Stewart.
It is important for us to become conscious of the numerous, ordinary situations through which we can have conversations about issues of social change. Conversations between two people, or in small groups, are a powerful medium for social change.
The following are some tips concerning how to do this. These are not meant as golden rules - only suggestions that may be appropriate depending on the situation.
First, you may be more likely to have an effective conversation when you have connected with the other person. This doesn’t mean that you need to have known the person previously, but it helps to:
Look for non-threatening conversation raisers where possible. There are many ways to touch upon an issue. For example, if you wish to deepen people’s consciousness about the problems with consumer culture, try talking with friends about how much advertising has come into sport, or say to the person in front of you in a supermarket queue how much of a mad rush Saturday morning shopping is. Find conversation raisers that the other person will feel comfortable with.
Listening is very important. Effective change does not happen by planting information or beliefs in other people’s minds. Encouraging the other person to think about the issue, explore its personal relevance, and express his/her feelings, can help him/her work through the factors blocking change. Furthermore, by listening we will be able to make what we say more relevant to the other person’s needs - which is crucial.
Ask strategic questions - ones that progressively help the other person to explore the issue in more depth. As you get to know the person, or as the conversation progresses, your questions can move from ones asking what they know about the issue, to how they see it affecting them, to the feelings that arise when they think about it, to actions that can be taken to make a difference. Often this whole spectrum of strategic questioning cannot be completed in the one conversation - it can take many - and if all you do is deepen the issue 0.1% in the person’s consciousness you have made a difference. Many other influences on the person will synergise with yours.
What you do partly depends on the person’s pre-existing attitudes to the issue:
Stay away from directly confronting strongly held negative views - if you attack them, you could inadvertently strengthen them - except when there is the need to speak your truth concerning what someone has said or done (e.g. when a racist joke is made at a party, speak up!), in which case you need to be soft on the person, and hard on the issue.
Stay grounded during the conversation. Remember to breathe. Feel your feet on the ground, or your bum on the chair. This will help you to remain calm, to be compassionate, and to stay connected to your truth.
With acknowledgements to Rodney Vlais
THE GAME IS CALLED
CART
THE GAME IS CALLED CART* Beginners will learn in BILLY CARTS (CART is an acronym for Communicative Action Research Team) Billy Cart A vehicle enabling beginners to learn to play and participate in the world olympic CART
tournament A brief introduction The whole game will not be described here in every detail. But there is sufficient
information here to give an impression and get Billy Carts rolling. Basically, the CART is a team of 2, 3, or 4 people - the wheels. The first challenge of
a CART is to get it rolling, coordinated, the wheels turning in the same direction. In
other words, players must aim to reach agreement about certain things. What things?
We’ll come to it. When those in the BILLY CART learn how to coordinate to get their vehicle rolling
without crashing and falling apart, they will be ready to participate in the olympic CART
tournament. Learner-drivers are ready to qualify for participation in the world tournament when
they present their agreement to the olympic CART consortium. Their agreement will be publicly posted on the Internet on a site called LIBRECOM -
designed to link all the CARTs in the tournament. Where will BILLY CART activities begin to take place? Anywhere and everywhere. In
homes, streets, cafÈs, under trees…and in schools. The plan is to wheel BILLY CARTS into the world’s schools to ensure that all kids
have an opportunity to prepare themselves for participation in the Olympic CART
tournament. In the first instance, teachers will need to be encouraged to take a lead, to
get into a BILLY CART and learn how to drive. The not-so-hidden agenda of the Olympic Cart tournament is to develop in all people the
civic understandings, attitudes and skills – the integrity - necessary for
participation in the globally democratic polis of the future. LIBRECOM has been conceived
as a world constitutional forum and parliament facility. The first experimental prototype
model is now under construction and will be developed by CART players. It is intended that
experimentation will continue through the first decades of the 21st century while Internet
links develop throughout the world, enabling everyone to participate. All who qualify to
join the World Olympic CART tournament will, in effect, be able to perform as world
parliamentarians, having full and equal participatory rights granted to them by virtue of
the skills developed in the BILLY CART. The challenge of learning to drive a BILLY CART The goal: to agree on, and declare for public presentation, the basic game rules which
they want adopted by the CART tournament – or more precisely - the ethical principles
they believe should constitute the integrity of each player. Achieving integrity is - like the process of developing any sporting skill - about mind
and muscle coordination. Sounds easy, but it’s not. Learner-drivers will first need
to become clear about the language game rules in the CART. What does integrity mean? We
respect integrity in others; we look for it in leaders, but what are the core ethical
principles guiding our own actions and choices? Did we choose them? If not what does that
say about our integrity? Achieving self-mastery in the integrity stakes is the key
challenge in the tournament. Without this master key, the CART won’t roll. Fairness and efficiency rules: each takes a turn to drive. Each has equal time at the wheel, to drive the CART. Borrowing the language of tennis,
each participant is given an equal turn to ‘serve’. It’s a democratic game.
Each in turn has the opportunity to propose for agreement a basic principle of integrity
– a bottom-line rule - that they believe should be adopted by all CART players in
view of the global context and the need for mutual protection. Above all, the propositions
must be ones which players will commit – in all integrity - to enact themselves. Service implies a sharp, strong delivery of a proposal - backed by reasons. The serve
may be rallied from one player to another until it is either rejected or accepted within
the time agreed on by the team. Acceptance implies that each team member will – in
all integrity - comply with the proposed principle. Propositions are unlikely to be
accepted on first serve. Players may insist on exploring the action implications and the
consequences of all people complying. A number of rounds may need to be played before
mutual acceptance is achieved. The efficiency rule requires first that players prepare themselves well before serving
and second, that players remain focused on the service being delivered. This will ensure
that the CART stays on path, and steady progresses toward the goal. The main rule: exercise freedom of thought. This is not easy in the beginning, but it becomes easier with exercise. One must think
‘outside the box’, to escape the ideas and frameworks of one’s past. When
one enters a BILLY CART, one leaves behind who one was. One enters as a ‘human
being’, not as an ‘Australian’, ‘Aboriginal’,
‘Christian’ or ‘Muslim’ or any socialised identity. One must act as if
a newly born child or a future person or a being from another planet. No current
authority, person, or custom is allowed to dominate. The UN Declaration of Human Rights
declares that all have the right to exercise freedom of thought. In the CART that freedom
must be exercised as a rule. A WIN-WIN GAME: A major goal of the CART tournament is to maximise the
number of players. The more that play the more that everyone wins. Players will actively
seek to invite anyone and everyone to ride a BILLY CART. ‘Getting Started’ workshops These will introduce first-timers to the World Olympic CART tournament. They will find
out about the goals and rules and experience a short ride in a BILLY CART. The events will
also assist people find compatible BILLY CART partners. A Getting Started BILLY CART experience might proceed as follows. 1. Clarification of the goals and rules. The facilitator will emphasise that this
BILLY CART exercise will be a highly accelerated once-around the course. Participants will
naturally want to slow down and resolve the issues, but they will not have the time to do
so. 2. Prepare for a CART serve. The facilitator will ask each to work on their own,
to write on butchers papers to present their immediate response to the following: (20
minutes)
3. Divide into CARTs (3 or 4 persons) for one round of serves. Each in turn
presents their response to the team to achieve acceptance. (each must receive equal time,
say 20min.)
4. Public presentation. Where propositions have been accepted by the groups
(unlikely in the time given), these are presented to a plenary gathering. This is followed
by discussion of website presentation format. 5. Discussion of what might be a realistic time investment required for
CART involvement. 6. Matchmaking session to establish partners for trial BILLY CARTs. 7. Celebrate new team formation with drinks, etc. The CART concept was developed by Richard Mochelle for his doctoral thesis.
Acknowledgements to Jurgen Habermas. Contact Richard on: 07 3862 4529 or mochelle@acenet.net.au Conversations can be held anywhere, anytime, anyhow. You can see that we’ve identified a selection of processes which lend themselves
to sites ranging from shopping centre walkways to tightly organised conferences. If we are to get the conversations out into the community in a big way it seems
apparent that we should use sites in which people feel creative and inspired at best and
comfortable and relaxed at least. One-to-one conversations are going on all the time around Reworking Tomorrow issues
and, as far as know, there’s been conversations organised in:
In many ways the site doesn’t really matter so long as the environment is right
for communicating with each other. People will generally find a way to take down ideas ...
on the back of their hand, scraps of paper or on posters or whiteboards. Whatever seems appropriate to the group and their level of comfort will work. Sometimes
being overly "organised" with electronic whiteboards etc can be off-putting ...
at the same time these modern communication tools may be a major contribution to people
being informed and networked. Generally speaking, the group which plans to meet is best suited to deciding on the
site and level of support needed. Facilitation and participation (Adopted from "Australians for Reconciliation Study Circle Kit", produced by
the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation) Facilitation The skills for facilitators varies as the requirements of process which is being
facilitated. Open Space process may have different needs to Study Circle ... and so on. This guide is, therefore, a generic guide and should be interpreted to suit the group,
process and situation. Having said that, the main role is to assist discussion. Facilitators are not expected
to be an expert of the issues, any more than anyone else in the group. The most important
task is to be mentally prepared and organised. Your job includes making sure the group has
all it needs for the session and is comfortable and relaxed. You most difficult job will
be to make sure no one person dominates and keeping you own opinions back to let the rest
of the group have their say. Groups may decide to rotate the role of facilitator or to be
facilitator free.
Guide to Participants The aim of conversations is not to learn a lot of facts or attain 100% agreement. It is
to deepen each person’s understanding of the issues, and empower each person to a on
your beliefs and aspirations. It should be a democratic discussion amongst equals.
[All the above are adapted, with thanks, from publications of the Study
Circles Resource Center, Pomfre, CT, USA.] Resilient Communities For more information about us, visit our homepage at http:///www.resilientcommunities.org Or check out our resources section at http://www.resilientcommunities.org/resourceindex.htm
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