A facilitation guide to a 2-hour workshop based on the U ... · PDF file A facilitation guide...

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A facilitation guide to a 2-hour workshop based on the U-Process and Collective Intelligence

This technique has been used for two consecutive years at IMAGINE (Organised by TT30 Think Tank 30 of Club of Rome, and AIESEC) for 50 people who were contemplating social entrepreneurship and reflecting on how to make inroads into their careers, whether in social entrepreneurship or in a related field.

Although they were reflecting as individuals, there was also a need to reflect as a whole and the workshop sessions are designed so that participants can gain awareness of the ‘whole’, as well as their role in it.

http://www.aiesec.de/imagine

INTERPRETATION I created this 2-hour workshop based on the U-Process, and ideas from the domains of collective Intelligence, coaching, theatre and peer mentoring.

It should stand alone as a guide. Please feel free to use it and share your experiences with it. Should you need any further support, don’t hesitate to drop me a line at [email protected]

About the U-ProcessThe U-Process is a philosophy and a technique that was developed by Jo Jaworski, Adam Kahane, Peter Senge and Otto Scharmer. It is based on ancient wisdoms from the East and has been developed into a social technology that can be used with groups to help them to deepen their understanding of a situation, and move forward on it.

Since nowadays many of our problems are non-linear in nature, we cannot go directly from a problem to a solution in a straight line. We need to access more profound intelligence

The U-Process is designed to help groups to do that. There are 3 stages Co-Sensing, Co-Presencing, and Co-Prototyping. By moving through the U–Process, participants are able to sense the whole, and can also find where they fit into that whole. (See Diagram on the next page and Appendix)

Co-sensing is about suspending judgement in order to better see what the reality is, as a group. Co-Presencing is the art of ‘letting go to let come’: becoming completely present as a group, as one intelligence, to what wants to emerge. Co-Prototyping is about allowing the inner vision for the group to be birthed, and about taking actions quickly to build on that fresh vision, knowing that if mistakes are made, they will serve to better inform the final path. Please read the material on the U-Process (see overleaf for references) before applying this material.


The U-Process

Co-Sensing Co-Presencing Co-prototypingTHE FIELD The field can be understood initially in terms of the scientific definition of a field, of which there are many forms (e.g. electrical or gravitational). In the domain of social processes, ‘the field’ is a something that connects us all. It contains within it the ‘implicate order’, which can be sensed. Further reading material: ‘Presence’,(Senge et al), Synchronicity (Jawarski), and ‘Wholeness and the implicate order’ by David Bohm. Please see Appendix for more information.

The U-Process is one of a growing number of facilitation methods thatconsciously uses techniques that access ‘the field’. For more info please see: http://www.generonconsulting.com/methodology.html


Collective and Individual Devlopment

When Someone Deeply Listens to You

“When someone deeply listens to youIt is like holding out a dented cupYou’ve had since childhoodAnd watching it fill up withCold, fresh water.When it balances on top of the brim,You are understood.When it overflows and touches your skin,You are loved.When someone deeply listens to you.The room where you stayStarts a new lifeAnd the place where you wroteYour first poemBegins to glow in your mind’s eye.It is as if gold has been discovered!When some one deeply listens to you,Your bare feet are on the earthAnd a beloved land that seemed distantIs now at home within you”

John Fox

THE DANCE BETWEEN THE GROUP AND THE INDIVIDUAL

How can the collective become a place where the individual flourishes, and how can the individual contribute to raising the energy of the collective?

The individual will best contribute to any collective when she/he acts in alignment of his/her purpose and is aware of what collective needs. There is an inter-personal element that enables all individuals to become active catalysts for others to move into their highest potential.

The more that participants can understand the power that we have in how we see and perceive each other, in contributing to our development, the more powerful this workshop shall be. This is the interpersonal element which Daniel Golemandescribes in his new book ‘Social intelligence’. He highlights how we literally ‘create each other’ in our interactions with one another.

Of course, as facilitator the more you can hold the vision of a group of people who each have a unique and incredible potential to impact the world through their individual gifts, the more easy it will be for the participants to do that for each other. ‘The impact of an intervention depends on the internal state of the intervener’ Anon

This is the context in which this workshop was designed and run.


How this Guide is structured

TIPS: for various aspects of the process.

DESCRIPTIONA quick summary of what happens in each session

SAYWhat you might want to say to participants. This may seem rather prescriptive, but the ideas is to go beyond what is written here to find your own way of using these techniques and this general framework. What is offered here is simply a starting point, as this has been requested during previous efforts to communicate workshop processes.

THEORYFor some of these steps, there is a world of theory behind them.This section can be useful for addressing questions from participants who like to understand the academic or scientific basis to these techniques.

EQUIPMENTAny specific items that you might find useful.

TIMINGHow long each stage takes. Bear in mind that this takes place in a 2 hour session. If you want to run a longer session, just adjust the times appropriately

HOW PARTICIPANTS WORK – pairs or individually or group (visual symbol)How are participants working at each stage? The visual symbol to the right of this paragraph indicates (respectively) whether they are working in plenary, in pairs, in fours, loosely as a group, or alone


The U-Process

Introduction

TIPS: It seems to work best when people jump in and try it, and only reflect afterwards on the process they have been though.

If they think it through it too much then they run the danger of trying to understand with the mind, what is actually not for the mind to understand.

Try requesting that the group suspend judgement of the process in order to experience it fully, with the knowledge that they will be able to judge it as much as they like afterwards.

DESCRIPTIONIntroduce with a very brief overview of this workshop, as dynamically as possible to create a sense of adventure; inviting participants to jump right rather than analyse first.

SAYThis is a highly structured process (refer to flipchart), which will enable you to reach a deeper level of thinking around a question that you have, before rushing to find a solution.

It will use techniques that access intelligence from the whole of you (from the body and mind) and also from the collective; from what is sometimes called ‘The field’.

We will use creativity techniques called in order to help the mind to jump out of stuck rivers of thought and will work as individuals, and also at the level of the group.

EQUIPMENTTwo flipcharts

TIMING10 minutes

Further reading:‘Presence’ by Otto Scharmer, Jo Jaworsky, Peter Senge and Betty Sue Flowers

-Non-linear approach

-Learn to ‘live the question’

-River Jumping

-The FieldTHEORYIn Buddhism there is a distinction between ‘the thinking mind’ and ‘the doing mind’. The brain is part of our body and our intention is not to try to exclude it. The aim is to engage the the ‘doing mind’ which is connected to the bigger whole; just enough thinking to perform the task in hand.


1. Focus the question

It might be that some participants have difficulty in stating clearly what they want.

In that case their question could be stated as ‘How can I become more clear as to what it is I am looking for right now?’

You might like to suggest that the goal in that case is about having more clarity.

A question can be very specific or quite general. There are no rules but the question should feel ‘alive’ and engaging.

DESCRIPTIONIn order to have a focus for the workshop, each participant is encouraged to express what they are searching for as a clear and simple question.

SAYTake 5 minutes each way to help each other to pin-point the right question for your session. What is ‘burning’ for you right now?

The question should relate to something that you are working on, something that you want to move forward on, or for which you want to arrive at a deeper understanding.

It is important that you do not try to answer the question now or to help your partner to answer theirs. This will come later.

THEORYA question provides a focus, around which our thinking can then organise itself. When we need new understanding and truly new solutions, we need to engage the subconscious so that the solutions are holistic and access a deeper intelligence. Rather than downloading the old ways of thinking, once the question has been set up, the subconscious mind can go to workwith a lot more clarity. By properly allowing the process to take place, there is a chance for the right solution to emerge but this is only possible if we are prepared to live with the uncertainty, until this process runs its course.

EQUIPMENTPleasant-sounding bell.

Participants have asked to be reminded when to switch over.

TIMING5mins. Each

= 10 mins total


2. Suspending: Seeing with fresh eyes

TIPS: Use the technique of Random Connections on a question you have, in the same environment so that you can more authentically demonstrate this technique in action.

TIP: Use simple visual symbols on the flipchart to remind participants what the different techniques means.

Some groups of four may spot common themes, and work with these themes instead, rather than on individual cases. You may want to guide participants to do this at the start of this exercise.

DESCRIPTIONParticipants will use the power of the collective to help to see beyond her/his blind-spot.

They will work with creativity techniques in ‘home-groups’ of four, to see their situation or the common themes underlying their situation, in a new light.

SAY This is the river-jumping activity. In this exercise we will be helping each other to get out of a stuck river of thought.

Try any of the four following techniques. (Run through them). (see the next page).

Stay in your same pairs as you will then avoid having to re-introduce your stories to everyone. Join with another pair. This four-some is now your ‘home-group’.

Take turns to let the person in the hot seat be coached by the other three players.

EQUIPMENTA flipchart with the following on it

TIMING5 mins each plus 1 min to introduce question to the home group

= 6 mins per person. =24 mins total

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTThe term ‘River Jumping’ and the creativity exercises used in this step were developed by ‘What if?!’ (www.whatif.co.uk) and can be found in their fantastic book ‘Sticky Wisdom’.

R Random Connections

R Related Worlds

R Reframing

R Revolution


River JumpingRandom Connections

Keep your question in mind.

Look up and notice the first thing that catches your eyes. Force a random connection between that object and your question.

How does that change your question?

For example:‘I am trying to decide how I present myself to the world. I look around and see a box, it’s a kind of chest. I force a connection between a chest, and my challenge. How about a treasure chest? What if I were to see myself as a treasure chest, and it was just a question of packaging my treasures. The question would lead to ‘what are my treasures?

That is another question and the process can begin again

Related Worlds

Look at your challenge. Where has this challenge been addressed, in a different area altogether. Look at nature, or another industry. For example, the person behind the development of Velcro found how in nature small buds from a bush with a little hook.

Reframing / Re-expressing

Keep your question in mind.

See if you can express it in a different way, adding an entirely new frame

For example, express it as a pure opportunity.

Revolution

Take your question and step back.

What are the assumptions that lie underneath your question.

Play with and challenge these assumptions.

What is the implication for your question.

For example in the soap industry, someone challenged the notion that soap should be a solid. Now we have soap gel.

TIPS: Use the technique of Random Connections on a question you have, in the same environment so that you can more authentically demonstrate this technique in action.

Use visual symbols to remind participants what each different technique means


3. Sensing: from the field

TIPS: Now is a good time to make reference to ‘The Field’ once more.

TIP: If people are new to these technique from the world of theatre, it might inspire giggles, laughter

Gently encouraging silence and a respect for the depth of expression But with the acknowledgement that it may be difficult to do so,

will help people to stay centred, and to listen more carefully to the voice of the body.

This has worked in the past!

DESCRIPTIONParticipants will use their bodies to witness their own challenge through the medium of their bodies. They will get a sense of the bigger whole, by seeing other people’s questions; using the body as a metaphor.

SAYWe will now let the body have ‘a voice’ and we will listen to it.

In pairs, A and B

A moulds B into A’s human statue, expressing with the body, and face, the emotions and unsaid aspects to the question.

B sees A in this pose.

Then B steps into his own statue.

Now all the As walk around, seeing the gallery of human statues, sensing the richness of emotions, passions and reflections present in the room.

Then change places and repeat

THEORYThe body does not lie. The body is not only connected to our subconscious mind but it has been described precisely as our subconscious mind by C. Pert in her book ‘Molecules of Emotion’, Each of our bodies is connected to the field. As participants walk around, they will will get a sense of the field that is in the room, containing within it the connecting themes.

EQUIPMENT

A flipchart:

TIMINGA moulds B: 5 mins

B holds his pose; 5 mins

B moulds A; 5 mins

A holds her pose: 5mins

=20mins total

Allow yourself to live the question

…at a deeper level


4. Presencing: connecting to source

TIPS: Cut out the plasticine into separate beforehand. Try to warm them in the sun or on a radiator beforehand if possible so that participants can mould the pieces straight away.

TIP arrange beforehand where the participants will display their artwork, so that if needed be in a later stage it can be accessed or moulded further.

DESCRIPTIONParticipants use their hands to mould a piece of plasticine or modelling clay.

SAY Have you ever found your car-keys as soon as you stopped looking? In order to take the pressure off, there is no end-goal or objective with this exercise. Your question is already alive and ever present in the depths of your body and mind.

Take 10 minutes to yourself.You have the plasticine in your hands, allow your hands to move by themselves. Again, this is to allow thoughts to settle, to ground yourself in your body, letting go of what is unnecessary and opening a space for the new. (Nature abhors a vacuum)

THEORYThe body slows down our thinking. It also enables us to ‘ground’ our ideas . The idea is to allow participants to reach a kind of ‘thoughtless awareness (as is the aim in meditation) At least if there are thoughts, we are not directing them. Thus the question is not striven to be answered. Rather, the participants become completely aware of the depth of the domain of the challenge, and as this awareness is heightened, a deeper knowledge becomes available. When the handwork is displayed, the participants will see the whole picture of what has been created by the group, (as in the World Café concept of the gallery). They will see their own art work as part of the bigger whole.

EQUIPMENTA chunk of plasticine / play-do /modelling clay for each person.

A large flat area in which the participants can display their handwork.

Inspiring background music

TIMING15mins


5. Enacting: Crystallising Vision and Intention

TIPS: Sometimes the use of a ball or an item to throw between participants can break stuck energy and create an increased sense sense of flow.

I.e each participants is encouraged to ‘blurt’ out something as they throw the ball to someone else.

With the freedom also to request the ball to be thrown to them.

TIP encourage also the wilder visions to be expressed. Even request one wilder vision per person

DESCRIPTIONParticipants will encourage the new and (sometimes) shy visions to have more form, by speaking them out, for and on behalf of themselves and the others.

SAYYou have now stirred up the intuition using the body, and having let go, you have opened a space for your visions to emerge.

In home groups, each person will get their turn in the hot seat.

Allow your visions, for your self and for others to flow.

Try also asking yourself what is the wildest solution possible? What is wanting to be born. What is the new pattern that is wanting to be seen?

At this stage we are just allowing new visions to to be expressed. Nothing more.

THEORYOften we disregard the powerful ideas that the intuition can throw at us. Four practices are needed to working with intuition. Expect it, listen to it, trust it, and act on it. In this workshop structure we are supported to do this. This step is also about where we can see each other’s potential, sparked by our own flowing intuition. This is where the power of the Other comes into play as we give life to each other’s visions simply by seeing them. ‘

EQUIPMENTA ball, or a throw-able object for each group

TIMING5mins each plus 1 m ins to introduce question.

= 6mins per person

= 24mins total


6. Prototyping

TIP: this is a good one to do standing again, as it is about movement, action.

At this point there is a commitment to acting on our intuition.

A common myth in personal development is that ’if we follow our intuition, we will ‘get nothing done’.

In actual fact it is often the voice of intuition itself that says ‘let me just finish that report’.

It is never intuition that is the problem. It is the negative story on top of it that is the problem.

DESCRIPTIONIn home-pairs, help each other to select one action to support the bigger idea to manifest into a concrete reality.

SAYTake 5 minutes each way, to identify one action that you can take that will move you forward.

Imagine a red line in front of you representing this new commitment

Support your partner to do so too, perhaps asking her/him what she/he needs from you. (To be witnessed, championed, held to account or any other kind of support.)

When you are ready cross your own red line!

THEORYRather than wait for the perfect detailed plan a small committed action will bring confidence to the process by giving some immediate grounding and tangible result. The subconscious mind will then trust us more and then more intuition will flow. This act of taking small action and then reflecting, will enable you to see if you are on the right track. The concept of prototyping embodies this philosophy. It leans away from the school of planning which is theoretically based and performed mostly at the onset of a project, and towards the action-research and action-enquiry approaches.

EQUIPMENTnone

TIMING5mins each

= 10mins total


The U-Process

7. Dialogue/Reflection on Process

TIPS: After this kind of process there is often a lot of discussion about the techniques used themselves.

Suggest that resources are available then or soon after in order to allow participants to delve more deeply into the material

TIP the group may wish to continue to share and engage

In the case of IMAGINE the hosting of the blogis rotated, with one participant per week offering content.

DESCRIPTIONHaving ended the process on the last round, allowing reflections on the different stages will help the group to reflect as a whole

SAYYou can carry this out in several different ways.

You may want to have an open dialogue, simply allowing whatever wants to be said, to be shared.

You may want to prompt with some questions or ask individuals directly.

This is bout allowing the group to re-gather as a whole and to reflect on the patterns and common themes that the group are experiencing right now.

THEORYFor a system to be conscious it must be ‘aware of itself’. Dialogue is useful for accessing deeper meaningful issues in a group. Dia-logos: the word means flow of meaning. David Bohm developed a theory of dialogue. (see Appendix)

The field formed around a group is incredibly rich and processes like these can tap into the intelligence in the field. Understanding of the common meaningful themes can contribute as input to form the basis for action for sustaining the group. Further ideas can be developed to form a community of learning and practice around the deeper objectives of this collective.

EQUIPMENT

A flipchart:

TIMING15 minutes


Appendix

FURTHER READING• ‘Presence’ book by Senge et al. This book is an inspiring and powerful conversation between 4 people on the U-Process,

•‘Synchronicity book byJaworski. One man’s mysterious unfolding journey into authentic leadership

•‘Wholeness and the implicate order’ book by David Bohm. This incredible late physicist shows scientific bases for the interconnectedness of all things‘Sticky Wisdom’ book by ‘Whatif!’ Consultancy (http://www.whatif.co.uk)

THE U-PROCESSGeneron Consultinghttp://www.generonconsulting.com/methodology.html

OTHER WORKSHOP PROCESS THAT TUNE INTO ‘THE FIELD’• The world Café www.theworldcafe.com

•Constellations http://www.change-management-toolbook.com/tools/constellations.html

• Deep Democracy http://www.deep-democracy.net/ (the application of DD by Myrna Lewis)

• World Work http://www.processwork-audergon.com/CFOR/facilitation.htm

ABOUT THE AUTHORSofia Bustamante is a freelance facilitator, coach, mediator and consultant in social processes and social entrepreneurship. http://www.turnupthecourage.com

• ‘The Leader as Martial Artist’ book by Arnold Mindell. Arnold Mindell is the father of modern post-Einsteinianpsychology and developed ‘World Work’. This enlightening book brings to light one of the processes he developed called ‘Deep Democracy’ and advanced facilitation method for addressing conflicts in groups.

• ‘Social Intelligence’ book by Daniel Goleman in this book Daniel Golemenmoves from focusing on the emotional intelligence of individuals to how individuals form a key role in the development of each other

COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE: P2PThis article is a must-read for understanding the new peer-2-peer paradigm shift http://www.ctheory.net/articles.aspx?id=499

CREATIVE COMMONSThis work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Toview a copy of this license, visit

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

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