Navigating the River (of data & dialogue)

Photo Copyright TSmyth

The word dialogue comes from the root words dia (meaning through) and logos (the word). It gives the image “of a river of meaning flowing around and through each participant” (Bohm, 1991).

Depending on the facilitator’s comfort zone, the topic and who’s in the room, that river could be a meandering trickle or a white water rush. A guide or method to approach holding a dialogue can sometimes be a welcome relief to a group facilitator as well as to participants (sort of like bringing a life jacket on your wet adventure).

In Raising the Village (2009), we dedicate a chapter to dialogue – how to create space for it, how to ask those phenomenological questions that rock everyone’s world, and how that leads to constructing a collective relevance. In community, dialogue can provide the opportunity to create shared meaning, to learn from each member of a group, and to jointly explore an issue. It is very different from discussion or debate, which includes both problem solving and seeking closure.  The issues that early years community developers tackle in community are complex and multi-factoral.

The Institute of Cultural Affairs created a method for guiding groups from discussion into dialogue.  It is called ORID and while a funny acronym that rhymes with horrid, it, on the contrary, may just help avoid a horrid meeting!

Each step in the method takes a group into a deeper level of conversation. It allows people to process and contribute their thoughts systematically. One excellent example of its use is for early years community developers who are faced with facilitating conversations around local data such as the Early Development Indicator. Without a guide to help “navigate the river of logos,” groups can be overwhelmed with complex information.

After some information is presented to the group, a facilitator can apply the ORID process. The first stage is OBJECTIVE. This level resists getting wrapped up in opinions and interpretations and focuses solely on the information. Questions for this stage might include:

What phrases or ideas from the presentation stood out for you?

What factual statements can you make based on the data?

The next step is to allow participants to be REFLECTIVE and contribute their initial reactions, both positive and negative.

Questions for this stage might include:

What gives you concern?  What gives you hope?

What encouraged you? What discouraged you?

How does this make you feel?

The third level towards dialogue is INTERPRETIVE. This now requires some critical thinking skills. Participants will be paddling into meaning making, finding value and significance. Questions at this stage may include:

What does this mean for the work we do together?

What new insights do you have?

What areas of need seem to arise?

Finally, the group reaches a DECISIONAL level in which collective opinion on next steps is the goal. A good question for this stage is:

How will we apply what we have talked about here today?

What are our proposed next steps?

Participants aren’t necessarily aware of the ORID process. When it has a free-flowing feeling, participants stay more activity engaged in the content instead of getting sidetracked with a structure. A strong facilitator will allow the questions of each stage to propel the conversation forward allowing participants to co-construct meaning in their logos.  

May your river of meaning be safely navigated!

Village Raising Question

In what situations do you see your community using the ORID process?

Derailed by Group Dynamics – get back on track!

Last week we shared a “real life” facilitator learning moment that sent us back to the books for reminders on group facilitation. Here are some tips we discovered that might help prevent being derailed by group dynamics.

1. In his book, The Secrets of Facilitation, author Michael Wilkinson offers tips for dealing with behaviors in a group. Catch participants being positively engaged and give them some attention, a head nod, a smile, or get them to have the floor to share an experience. People are more likely to engage if they feel they are contributing and offering to the process. Ask for their thoughts.

2. In the book The Skilled Facilitator, Roger Schwarz talks about two sets of knowledge and skills that assist a facilitator to help intervene in group dynamics. First, you need to know what type of behavior to look for…the ones that reflect key dynamics of the effectiveness of a group. Establish quick ground rules with every group- as the key way to know and identify a behavior that is in contrast of agreed upon principles. Second, a process for diagnosis is needed…figure out how you will observe and make sense of behavior. Facilitators have to deal with high-level inference (such as control and trust) that cannot be observed directly but must be inferred. The next steps are to decide whether, how and why to intervene. If you do intervene describe the observed behavior in an open and non judging way and share your intent in addressing the dynamic.

One of the learning’s we have taken away from our “de-railed” group facilitation is to remain grounded ourselves, stay curious with others, and clarify any behaviors that may be rippling in the room.

Raising the Village Question:

What are the behaviors that best boost a collaborative spirit? How might you discuss this regularly with your community group?

Group Facilitators – practice the art of letting go.

In life there are certainly times we have to learn to “let go”- of things, people, or circumstances. Take a search through a local library and you will find numerous books giving advice on how to “let go” on many topics and issues; grief, relationships, medical circumstances, stress, fears, addictions and phobias. For some, “letting go” signifies a time of healing, personal change, and transformative growth. 

Facilitators, group leaders and instructors benefit greatly from practicing the art of letting go. Part and parcel of letting go, however, is making sure that we capture and internalize the lessons.

We were recently presenting two workshops, back to back. The first one was to our peers (fellow Early Years Community Developers). We were excited to share our thinking and our approach (highly grounded in adult learning principles) by engaging participants in constructing knowledge. This philosophy results in highly interactive Village Raising workshops.  As we tapped into the energy in the room, we perceived a participant or two as being un-engaged with the information and activities we were presenting. On this particular day (for a slew of reasons) it was enough to take us completely off our game. We allowed our perceptions to change our workshop flow and timing, sap our enthusiasm and question ourselves. As veterans of group facilitation, we are aware of many different ways to react when folks are un-engaged, but somehow being with our peers on this day, changed our response. We left the first workshop feeling we had not fully played to our strengths or provided the space for optimum connection and Village Raising…big time bummer. So what are two group facilitators to do? Blame others and get defensive? Curl up in the fetal position? Or…practice that art of letting go? We chose the latter.

Luckily we had an evening between the first and second workshops. In that time, we worked hard at identifying what happened. We discovered, through participant evaluations, that the workshop was still highly regarded by the majority of people. In order to learn, grow and then build our confidence back – we employed strategies of letting go.

We...

• Accepted that it is impossible to meet everyone’s expectations (the 10/80/10 principle) and that people engage in different ways.
• Readjusted our timing and content to allow us to achieve a higher level of energy and participation sooner in the workshop.
• Celebrated the positive evaluation comments and allowed those to inform our reflections and give us the foundation to build from. “We want to give more…(you insert here)”.
• Asked ourselves: How do we want to act that is consistent with our Village Raising vision? What really matters about this workshop/meeting? We re-confirmed our focus.
• Laughed and laughed and laughed. At ourselves, at our vulnerabilities and at life’s unexpected lessons.
• Allowed ourselves the time to process, learn and then “let it go”…

The following day we delivered essentially the same workshop to a group of people who were our “target” audience. It was a phenomenal day, filled with deep sharing, a-ha moments and positive energy. As co-facilitators we found our chemistry, rhythm and presence. Sure there were probably a couple of people that were less engaged than the masses – but we were able to avoid being derailed by them and continued on the right path of delivering a meaningful experience for the rest.

            

When life throws you a curve ball, pay attention, be open, learn from it and let go.

Village Raising Question:

What group “curve balls” can you more intently learn from… and then let go of?

Watch next week for tips from other authors that help prevent being derailed by group dynamics.

Be a Mischief-maker

Be a Mischief-maker!
Photo Copyright Tammy Dewar

We are huge Seth Godin fans. His little nuggets of counter-intuitive thinking evoke something deeply motivating and, to be honest, uncomfortable. His opinions shoot out like little burrs that get stuck in the brain and, frankly, bug us until we translate his “business” and “marketing” focused brilliance into something that is relevant as community developers.

His book “Tribes” appealed first because of the title with it’s very village-like sound.  For the first two/thirds, we found it validating and aligned with our penchant towards change and innovation; it was like preaching to the converted. By the time we got to the last 100 pages we were feverish with anticipation to sink our teeth into something.  He did not disappoint.

After closing the book we were determined to be more of a mischief-maker than I ever was before. He convinced us that leadership requires more bravery and if we want to change things, improve things and create a better future…we simply have to do things differently than what has been done before.

“If you are not over the top, you’re not going to have any chance at all of making things happen.”  (pg 86)

When we look around at the work done in the area of the early years and the people who have done the work, we want to celebrate the consistent, focused, caring diligence of these individuals who GET it (that our society can prevent many social issues by investing in quality early years for children). We are also compelled to shout out a call to action: Let’s not work our tails off to maintain the status quo! 

Usually fear gets in the way of positive change. Along with fear of the unknown (which takes a little confidence) there is the fear of being criticized. Lets not worry about potential criticism when we make great things happen. Lets reframe criticism as an earned “ badge of honour” because it means we have blown away people’s expectations. Let’s raise a little mischief and start being remarkable.

Village Raising Question:

How can you create something that critics will criticize because it challenges the status quo?

Sparkling Dream Catcher

Photo Copyright - Tammy Dewar

Think not of the things you do well but of the things you are proud of, the things that instinctively put a spring in your step or a song in your heart. (Raising the Village, 2009).

This statement takes me back to a time when I facilitated a young parent group. Picture a diverse group of young mothers gathered around a table in a school room, unsure of their connection to each other, or the parenting group. Intent on getting to the heart of working together, questions were posed such as, “What would you like to share with each other? How can we share things that matter to us?” Quiet was the response... until one girl spoke up.

“I can make dream catchers.”
“Awesome! What’s important about making dream catchers?” I asked.

This mother proceeded to tell the group how it was an important part of her culture and how she had made a special dream catcher to hang above her child’s crib to ward off bad dreams and bring restful sleep (and you know that statement has an impact on any new parent)!

This intimate disclosure of parental love was the spark to get the group ideas flowing. One by one, the participants expressed areas that fired them up- the sharing was phenomenal. Future meetings were planned based on identified strengths which brought personal meaning to each participant. The dream catcher session was a highlight! A group of young mothers gathered in a circle making dream catchers filled with colour and love for their children. As the young parent led the group that day, she not only instructed others how to weave and twine the materials around the rim, she sparkled with a deep inner confidence that was powerful to witness. The opportunity to teach her crafting skill (and something close to her heart) with the other parents seemed to take her to a place that was rich in belief – belief in herself and her talents. What resulted was a group connection woven through the dream catchers and the people... providing a feeling of voice, unity and strength.
Tammy

Village Raising Question

What makes you sparkle with confidence? How might you share your “dream catcher” sparkle with others in your community? Notice how this might build a collective strength.

Note: This story is edited and adapted based on a story in our book Raising the Village (2009).

Kitchen Table Meetings

Picture some parents gathered in the kitchen, fresh cuppa joe in hand, children playing independently in the next room. Nice, comfy, homey…Now picture how their conversation will change the way governments set policy, how families access services and how their needs as parents are better met. The CARS Process can do just that. CARS – acronym for Communities Achieving Responsive Services is a model for meaningful community consultation.

Growing out of a grass roots movement in northern Ontario, CARS co-founders Carol Gott and Jane Wilson have developed a series of steps to assist communities to build responsive, accessible services and supports for their own community members.  CARS is a community owned and community directed process that can be used to both improve how well present services respond to the needs of people and to help communities develop services that they presently don’t have – but need.

Armed with some templates and fact sheets (all available on the website www.carsprocess.ca), parents are encouraged to gather their voice. Some of the people that access services do not normally attend large community forums. They need small, informal gatherings to safely and honestly discuss their needs and to allow them to be both service “users” as well as service “leaders.”

The Kitchen Table meetings are step two of the CARS’ comprehensive ten steps towards working for change. The process goes beyond just stakeholder participation to true partnerships in action.

Whether you live in a rural and remote community with a small population of families or a large urban centre with thousands of potential kitchen table meetings – give voice to families.

Village Raising Question

What happens when service users do not have a voice?

The Parent Conundrum

If you were to draw a village like an archery target, children and parents would be the bulls-eye or the sweet-spot. This is the part of the target that scores the most points and makes the most difference because families are where the next generation starts. They are the units in which the growth and development of independent, contributing citizens occur. So when government and non-profit agencies plan for new policies and new services, it is this population that has the most at stake when decisions are made. The conundrum is how the service providers best engage the service users (families) to inform and influence their decisions. 

How can a group of early years community developers be responsive to a parental perspective that is inclusive of the diversity that exists among families? Families are as different as they come! And they are legitimately wrapped up in their busy lives, trying their best with what they have. It is important to consider how to give families the opportunity to share their thoughts in ways that fit their lives.

In our book, Raising the Village, we offer a list of ideas and considerations to engage families in community early years planning and decision making processes. There is no one way – no cookie-cutter approach.  It is essential that parents (and children for that matter) be given a voice! We want to gather more ideas and strategies that have worked out there around the world.

Here is our list (5 anyway) to get things rolling….

1 – invite all parents to attend all meetings

2 – service providers “be” the parent voice 

3 – select parent representatives or parent champions

4 – formal surveys (written, telephone or online)

5 – focus group research

Village Raising Question:

What has worked for you to meaningfully engage parents (and children) in community early years planning and decision making processes?

Thump, Thump, Thump, Thump...Heart Listening

Paul Born inspired us in last week’s Raising the Village interview when he said “The critical thing today is to listen to our hearts. This may be the most radical thing we can do for children".


Continuing along this community heart trail we decided to share some of our favourite heart-listening quotes. Not only do they align with Paul’s comments, they also help to illuminate caring connections and the working together spirit. Enjoy the heart thumping and please share your favourite quotes with us!

• I think of a gesture of love as anything we do that helps others discover their humanity. Any act where we turn to one another. Open our hearts. Extend ourselves. Listen. Any time we’re patient. Curious. Quiet. Engaged. ~ Margaret Wheatley in the book: turning to one another ~


• It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself...Serve and thou shall be served. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~


• For a community to be whole and healthy, it must be based on people's love and concern for each other. ~ Millard Fuller ~


• The next Buddha may take the form of a community, a community practicing understanding and loving kindness, a community practicing mindful living. This may be the most important thing we can do for the survival of the earth. ~ Thich NHhat Hanh ~


• Speaking truth helps you get clarity on your real heart directives. ~ Sara Paddison ~


• Our capacity to listen puts us in contact with the wider dimensions of the world in which we live. It lets us connect to it. Listening can open in us a door, a greater sense of participation in the world. ~William Isaacs from the book: dialogue and the art of thinking together ~
  

At Raising the Village we have experienced the power that occurs when people speak from their hearts and engage other people’s hearts. Through shared stories, shared dialogue or shared experiences relationship shifts occur, shared leadership propels and collective relevance between village members is abundant. Engage the heart and you engage community.

Village Raising Question:
Children and families are at the centre of the village – how can we listen to what’s in their hearts? What are they telling us?

Watch for next week’s blog for Village ideas on hearing and engaging families.

How am I doing? How are we doing? ... Questions at the Heart of Community Work

A Raising the Village interview with Paul Born.


Tamarack – An Institute for Community Engagement has been a “go to” resource for us at Raising the Village for many years. We were ecstatic that the director, Paul Born, was able to take the time to answer our newsletter questions. Paul has been on a ten year journey and partnership to advance place based solutions to entrenched problems like poverty. As an author of three books and a person who loves the power of stories, Paul has extensive experience in helping organizations and communities develop collaborative action. His messages are sure to inspire!


1) What aspect of community engagement gets Paul Born fired up?

• Multi sector engagement and action really excite me -when at least three different sectors work together.


• Collective altruism is beautiful - when people work together for the benefit of others fueled by love. It is a time when the giver is also the receiver and the receiver is also the giver. I also feel that the study of collective selfless giving needs a lot more study. The way collective action fuels group - causes energy, healing and belonging.


• Vibrant Communities Canada is at a critical phase. The results are outstanding. Nearly 3,000 organization partner locally, using community engagement strategies have now helped 172,000 families in poverty.
  

2) As an advocate for collaborative action, how do you balance the many agendas that engaged citizens bring forward for attention? Asked another way, how can we honour the complex needs and passions in a community such as; poverty reduction, elder & senior issues, special needs, safety, improving public education, accessible health care, homelessness, child development vulnerability…the list goes on and on!

Do we really need to balance the many agendas of issue based networks or are we best to work at respecting and embracing the passion of each. I have come to the conclusion that most all issues facing communities are interrelated. It seems not to matter what issue you work on you will eventually impact the other. Can you really work at the children’s agenda and not care about poverty, violence or the environment or vice versa. We desire clean and well organized approaches causing us to worry about duplication and focus. What we are learning is that groups can work together and help each other. They do not need to compete. Rather they can embrace the agenda of the other. It would be wise to create a council of networks in a community. If for no other reason to advance the work of networks, build trust and find ways to work together.

3) How can people who are working together in communities with a focus on the early years relate to and participate in the work taking place at Tamarack, Institute for Community Engagement?

• We have a very active web site and tele learning platform. Everything there is free. You can choose from nearly 100 online seminars.


• Vibrant Communities has a large national network. Hamilton is the one city in the network that has specifically made their poverty reduction campaign about children.


• We have so much to learn from your network. Landon Pearson has truly inspired us.


• We would also welcome invitations to come speak at your events and conferences. These often build deeper understanding and can inspire the human spirit. Much joy.
  

4) Tamarack’s mission includes working and learning together to create and realize bold visions for the future. What bold steps must be taken for our societies to make children a priority? Any simple steps?

There are no simple steps or even bold steps required. The critical thing today is to listen to our hearts. This may be the most radical thing we can do for children. If we truly listened to the hearts of Canadians would we tolerate the level of child poverty and violence against children? The work we are called to is not just the work that entails doing. I feel we would be wise in this day of increasing chaos to stop and reflect and do the inner work and ask- How am I doing? How are we doing? This question will open us and will call us to seek healing. Then we can ask the question -How can I help? How can we help? The question of helping must come from a place of a desire for inner healing. These two simple questions have become so important to me. I want to move from knowing what to do to hearing what to do. I want to act from within. As chaos grows - developing the inner compass as Steven Covey called it will be more critical than ever.

5) Tell us about your new book: Seeking Community - Finding Belonging in Chaotic Times

I am writing about a paradox that I find in my own life. I am so busy, have so many people all around me, friends and family and yet I feel this overwhelming loneliness that the community in my life is not sufficient. I want more. I want to feel a sense of belonging and a co identity with others. The book is based on a talk I have given now over 100 times called Seeking the Possibilities of Community. Each time I give this talk I am amazed at the number of people who feel like me.So this book is written as a journey of trying to understand community and belonging in these chaotic times. It invites the reader to join in the journey to engage with me and each other and to ask questions and explore together.

6) What personally brings you a “sense of community”?

• A hug for sure


• A long dinner at a long table with long-time friends.


• Family: my family and my extended family.


• Children - yes children - especially babies. Babies are the strongest of all the human species. The greatest gift is to be able to rock a baby to sleep. They have the power to melt your heart, to dust off those corners where love is dormant, open the shutters and shine light on the soul. I am writing this to you from a plane - I moved seats so a mother could have extra space for her children. The last 3 legs of my trip a baby sat beside me with their mother. Each time the mothers apologized for what they assumed the baby would put me through. It was not long and we were all talking, the babies sitting with me - holding my finger and laughing. I felt so thankful and an empathy within me, not only toward the baby but also the mother and the other passengers. These babies pulled love and altruism right out of me. I felt at peace and a sense that all was right in me and in the world. This is my hope for community that it can help us feel and desire peace.
  
  For amazing community resources and further inspiration go to:
  http://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/ http://www.seekingcommunity.ca/ http://www.paulborn.ca/
  

More about Paul: he was the Executive Director and founder of The Community Opportunities Development Association (CODA) for 12 years, one of Canada’s most successful community economic development organizations where he also founded Opportunities 2000, a millennium campaign to reduce poverty in Waterloo Region to the lowest in Canada, which received the United Nations' Top 40 Projects Worldwide. His work has also been recognized with awards from the Conference Board of Canada, Imagine Canada and the Governor General of Canada.

Rethinking Group Values

www.wordle.net

Facilitators and community developers who work with groups often begin with the task of defining the group’s values. In the room there will be the eye rollers who mutter “good glory, can we just get on with it?” and the reflective eager beavers who are already waving their hands like primary school students wanting to be the first to say “respect, inclusive or honesty.”

Values are attitudes that motivate us to act a certain way. They are based on our ethical standards and are a measure of what is important to us. Values are going to be different for everyone. In a group, the process of defining group values begins to shape the common ground shared among individuals or organizations. This is important when people intend to work together on a project or share resources.

So how do you find the middle ground between the eye rollers and the eager beavers? Here is what NOT to do:

• Bypass the process completely to avoid ruffling feathers
• Skim the surface of the process and quickly gather the “off-the cuff” list of tried and true values that are, out of context, rather meaningless and not a reflection of the whole group
• Get all “existential” on everyone and immerse the group with lectures on ethical hierarchies, morality and anthropological lenses (yikes!)

To get to values that are useful during the course of the group’s work together and not just collect dust on an old flip chart paper or get buried in meeting minutes, try an adaptation of this 30-minute process.

• Let the group know that the next 30 minutes will set the stage for the working relationship of the group.
• Give groups a list of values (make sure there is space for “other”)
• Have people work ALONE, get them to mark the top 3 values that they feel are the most pertinent with the group and the project. To help people get into the value mind-set, ask a few questions such as: What does this group/project stand for? What do you see at the core of this group/project?
• Then work in small groups, have individuals share their 3 values and why they fit. Make note of ones that are the SAME and ones that the group really identifies with.
• Have the small group come to a consensus on the top 3 shared values from this collective list. Use your agreed upon consensus process. (See last weeks blog for more on consensus).
• Have each small group share their list with the whole group. After each presentation, allow time for people to pose questions about how each value relates to the group/project at hand.

For example:

Courage

What does this mean for safety? What are the fears about this project/group that would need courage to overcome them? What is at the essence of courage for you? What does it mean?

• Have individuals work ALONE again and cast a vote for their personal top 3 values.
• Have someone enter all the values into www.wordle.net to see both the collection of values that the group has identified surround the project and the values of highest importance (the top ones will be bigger – but the others won’t be lost).
• Post this, refer to it, and question it often. It can help during the group’s cycle of learning, planning and decision making.

Sometimes the most relevant group values are ones that not everyone understands how they fit at first glance. Through learning about and applying them, meaning emerges as people balance what resonates personally and what “fits” with the group or project.

Village Raising Question:

When was the last time you evaluated your own values?