[Springboard] "Gathering Process Suggestions"

Fri Nov 2 10:39:16 EDT 2007

My, my, my indeed.

What great things come from silence.

I thin we need a new log

Monolog, dialog, polylog and silence log.

Thanks David and Pat

George

4240 Sandy Shores Dr

Lutz, FL 33558

USA

Tel: 813-948-7267

Mob: 913-505-9041

Fax: 813-948-4167

Em: m.george.walters at verizon.net

  _____  

From: springboard-bounces at wedgeblade.net
[mailto:springboard-bounces at wedgeblade.net] On Behalf Of W. J.
Sent: Thursday, November 01, 2007 16:02
To: Springboard Dialogue
Subject: [Springboard] "Gathering Process Suggestions"

I liked this so much I'm bouncing back to the list again.

So what's happening on this front? Are we up and running?

Marshall

On Wed, 5 Sep 2007 10:30:45 -0400 <silencefoundation at cox.net> writes: 

Dear Friends, 

We both left the Abbey North gathering earger to go with Soringboard. Now
we're wondering where's the follow up?  Maybe it was simply a golden moment
which is all we need at this point.  In any case this offers some reflection
on the processes we might follow in the future.

We feel like we're preaching to the choir here but following the Denver and
Abbey North gatherings we did want to send you all something about possible
meeting methods for whoever plans the next gatherings to brood on.  We hope
this will spark your thinking about how we can put them into our future
Springboard events.

We envision that our gatherings with one another can become a lab where we
set the standard on creative meeting methods.   This is vital to the guild
and every other thing we do.   It's important that we incorporate the best
of the newest (and some older) methods and keep looking for and trying out
methods as they emerge.  Here are 8 on my mind:

1) A Facilitation Team.  Name them and claim them.   These people have to be
on hand and we have to plan meetings when they are available and help them
get there.   I think it's Jack Gilles, Jim Wiegel, George Walters, and
probably Jan Sanders.

2) River Guides.  At least 3 of these and they need to be assigned prior to
the meeting and given a context on their role.  River Guides hold energy,
pray, listen, intervene only when the group is blocked, and speak the mind
or location of the group (i.e., I think we are going in circles, I think we
are ignoring., etc.)  Remember Year 2000?  Lovely people for this are David
Scott, Richard Sims, Judy Wiegel, Thea, and John P.

3) Group Building Tools to Open, Close and Refresh.  This includes group
poems, silence exercises, ritual, songs, body movement, doodle/quick art,
play, dance, chants.  We have a pretty good list of quick ones and I know
others in the group have many such tools.

4) Pre-Work.  People these days are using technology to handle pre-meeting
reports.   Create a template for a 1-page report and ask everyone to send it
to the listserve group two days prior to the meeting.   Everyone reads
everyone else's.  Then when you gather people can give much shorter symbolic
reports and you can harvest the gold in an opening reflection (jump starting
the where-we-are work).

5) Streamlined ways to get thinking.  We tried several of these this time.
The Affinity Method, Groups of Three, Individual Writing Time before
sharing, etc.   The goal here is less words in the air and less words on the
walls.   This gets us to the heart of it easier.

6) Quaker Discussion Methods.  We love their discipline of putting pauses
between each person who speaks, the rule that you do not speak if you agree
and also that silent persons are given a special time to speak.   A bell or
timekeeper for speakers can help, too, but this can be tricky if the
timekeeper isn't really sensitive.  I like River Guides better.

7) Reflective Process.  Noble Silence, writing poetry as a reflection,
covenanting rituals (Like the What are you committed to? which was great at
Abbey North), late evening solitary reflection but done together (alone in
the presence of one another).

8) Streamlined Task.  Reporting Templates, so we can get back to each other
within 7-10 days of the meeting with our work assignment.

Well, we hope this is helpful.   We have no illusion that our gatherings
will be tidy or neat because we're on a historical edge just like everybody
else. But ain't it grand?

Blessings, 

Pat & David 

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