Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- hosting_craft [2013-09-09 16:45] – maja
+++ hosting_craft [2013-10-31 16:34] – maja
@@ Line 158: / Line 158: @@
 </blockquote>
+==== Session 3: The Framing ====
-//Next session 20131031: framing, designing questions, hosting conversations//
+By now we should have all the participants in the room, they arrived and introduced themselves to each other, and there is a nice buzz of anticipation. At a dinner party, people have had their aperitifs, have sat down in anticipation and you might now bring out the menu and an amuse bouche. In gatherings that we're talking about this moment is called "framing". The menu in our case describes of the flow of the session and the amuse the topic of conversation. Framing is about creating a more or less fuzzy boundary around all the possible conversations that could arise. Good framing does the same as the frame of a painting, it separates the painting from the rest of the wall, it draws our attention to what's inside it, without being overly present. As with a painting, you start with looking at the painting first to experience it as a whole, then look at its the technical aspects - with framing it's best to first talk about the content of the conversations, then give instructions about the flow. If you are not the person who frames the content, then you should do a short introduction first about the objective of the gathering and the flow, and then invite the 'content person' to briefly talk about the topic.
+=== Thematic framing and powerful questions ===
+Aside from defining the boundaries, framing can tickle people's imagination, making the topic of the conversation tangible and exciting. Framing the topic of a conversation as a question invites curiosity, dialogue and participation - our brains are wired to look for answers to questions, while a theme or topic can sometimes not speak or engage us enough (or we feel that we're not knowledgeable enough about it to be able to hold a meaningful conversation). Asking a good question is an art in itself. You should give this sufficient attention when preparing. There is an excellent paper on [[http://www.scribd.com/doc/18675626/Art-of-Powerful-Questions|"powerful questions"]] that can help you prepare.
+Questions for group conversations are the ones that can't be answered with a simple yes or no, this or that. Otherwise the discussion will be very short. For example, a question "will we survive the next winter" is better asked as:
+  * how will we live next winter?
+  * what will our next winter be like?
+  * why are we afraid of the winter?
+  * what will we do to survive (and thrive) next winter?
+What (if), how and why questions usually have sufficiently juicy answers to allow for interesting conversations and multiple perspectives. Why questions can be seen as patronising, so the tone of voice in delivering a why question is important. A good question will stay in the heads of the participants throughout a session. It should be clear and probing, able to stir stale conversations. It should touch people's lives, where they are at that moment and make them curious about where they could or would like to be.
+<blockquote>Exercise: try posing a yes/no question and finding a few more open or inspiring alternatives.</blockquote>
+Paraphrasing from The art of powerful questions: a powerful question is a three-dimensional one. The three dimensions are: construction, scope and assumptions. Construction is about phrasing of the question (see the paragraphs above) - which words you use can inspire or demotivate people. The scope is about tailoring the question to the capacity of people's action - where can people make immediate difference (e.g. family, organisation, community, global society). Finally, every question will have your or wider assumptions built into it, assumptions that might not be shared in the group. We should be especially aware of negative assumptions ("what did we do wrong?" could be better phrased as "what can we learn from what happened?"). Having a question focus on the problem, can make people defensive or disengaged. It's helpful to check if the question encourages learning, reflection, collaboration and/or exploration rather than blaming, competition or justifying.
+Before the gathering design several questions and check with someone you trust to see which one resonates better and is seen as more 'powerful'. Play around with changing the construction and the scope of a question and check your assumptions. Even if you come up with a question that satisfies you, check with the group if they can find themselves in it. Or even better, help the right question emerge from the group (time allowing!). In this way the 'ownership of' or familiarity with the question will be stronger in the group.
+<blockquote>Exercise: Design a powerful question.
+Context: A bureaucrat from the Flemish Authorities asks you to host a workshop about the "future of the art sector in Belgium". The participants are a mix of government officials, business people, representatives of arts organisations, artists, designers and journalists. You know that the topic is extremely dry and has been discussed for years, making the people from the sector are overly saturated and feel that they don't have enough agency to make a difference for this future.
+Challenge: Design a question and frame it in a way to make the invitees excited to participate.
+Result: Each person presents their framing and the question. We discuss the questions and experiences in the group. Which characteristics of powerful questions can we distill?</blockquote>
+(From our exercise on 20131031) A powerful question:
+  * invites you personally, not you as a group to engage with the topic (you can't hide behind the group)
+  * is phrased in a positive and stimulating way
+  * calls out for creativity
+  * connects to the participants through intuition and feeling (this might not work in all groups, the framing of the question should pad it in enough intellectual substance to speak to the more fact- and perception oriented people)
+  * has the ability to take you elsewhere and allow you to leave the burden behind
+  * works inclusively, even for very diverse groups of people
+  * speaks to imagination, can be seen as poetic and beautiful (again, not for all groups)
+  * makes the participant think: "i want to be a part of this"
+  * uses speculation and imagination to stimulate forward thinking
+  * encourages playfulness and flights of fancy (can be even seen as 'crazy')
+  * can be delivered with a joy and excitement in the voice or with calmness, softness and earnestness, depending on the topic
+  * reminds people of the importance of the topic (waardering, back to the fundamentals…)
+=== Framing the flow and participation ===
+The flow is the 'menu' of the session. "This will be served now, then comes this, then this." Flow should be described as clearly and succinctly as possible. If possible have it written up on a wall or on individual hand-outs. People tend to like to know what will happen next, or how far they got. Throughout the session it helps to keep repeating what you did and what is still to come. It seems to reassure people that you're on the right track. It is important to mention why people are there and where they're expected to go. Many people want to know what the goal or the outcome is, but make sure you allow enough space for exploration (for some too much structure can be stifling).
+You can start by framing the goal of the session (even if it is something like "we're here to get to know each other better"), as related to the topic or question. Then describe the flow from beginning to end, without too much detail. There will be a separate session on how to design a flow of a gathering (e.g. U theory) once we learned some simple hosting techniques.
+With the goal and the flow people will have a picture of what will happen, but still need guidelines to know how they're expected to behave - an etiquette of a sort. For example:
+  * please chose to talk to people you don't know (so well)
+  * observe, then interact
+  * people with blue tags join breakout group in the blue corner
+There can also be instructions to avoid disruptive behaviours ("house rules"), which can be defined beforehand, or co-created with the group on the spot:
+  * allow others to finish their sentences
+  * please switch your mobile phones
+  * try to use "I" statements
+  * ...
+These instructions should be short, clear and memorable. Specific instructions what to do for each session can be given in the beginning of a session.
+//next session: 20131216 10-14h: hosting and summarising conversations//