SCOPE / ASG

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Comment by April Doner on December 4, 2008 at 2:39pm

so glad i could catalyze that energy a little bit!
i think that this is a step and there's a few more to go, even for me, before I can reach out frequently to participate in this discussion, but there's something already started with the idea out here. i think i had a similar series of emotions as those you just described when i discovered this--Oh, this is so great! Wait, I have trouble talking with my OWN colleagues enough about the work we are doing--and how could we possibly all overcome that hurdle together? But wisdom: it's bit by bit, and every bit counts. :)

Comment by Dan Joyner on December 4, 2008 at 10:44am

April,

I’m so happy to see you join this discussion group. Tim and Julia are members of the network but haven’t joined the SCOPE/ASG Discussion Group yet… I hope you can get them to join up.

Being a baby boomer and less adept at online social networks, I’ve learned one thing about this technology, you have to be patient. My experience with this has been similar to our work with emergent models like Civic Engagement “things happen when they happen” Like the affect the six conversations have on people’s energy; putting a comment out-here has the same affect on me. I feel a rush of energy, a space for something new to occur appears in me but then “I have to wait… Hope and fear want to creep into that space” It gets lonely… Then, all of a sudden, somebody like you shows up and things start to make sense again; the energy shows up again… This is GREAT!

Comment by April Doner on December 4, 2008 at 9:32am

Ha! I didn't realize this existed until today. We need to get some more SCOPErs on here! Maybe can kick the idea out at our next teleconference...

Comment by Dan Joyner on October 23, 2008 at 3:41pm

The First SCOPE/ASG CONVERSATION OCT 25, 2006
The objective of the Teleconference was to use the civic engagement model around our doubts, hopes, withholdings and commitment with regards to inventing.

How can we invent conversational processes for ongoing action planning and implementation that generate the same energy and spirit as SCOPE and ASG/CES generates for strategic thinking and collective insight?”

1. THE QUESTIONS STARTED VIA EMAIL

“What are the ways we can begin to discover what questions are at the heart of things even before the teleconference begins?”

"What is the next question that will lead to change?" or "How long must I wander in the desert?"

“At what point does Action intersect Engagement and Commitment?”

2. CONVERSATIONAL EMAIL MESSAGES EMERGED

“Do you want questions that would be used in action planning? Or do you want questions like the ones we have been using which get at what’s going on with each of us at a deep, personal level?”

“Are we dealing with commitment or the lack of it, or a more functional, programmatic level?”
______________________________________________________________

So, here are my thoughts on this issue:

Connecting is an action.

Because of my positive experiences with Civic Engagement and A Small Group, contrasted to my negative experiences in just about all other situations, I think it is the primary action – both in the sense that it must be the first action and the sense that it is the most important action.

However, there is some expressed frustration that what is missing from the Civic Engagement process is a lack of tangible actions that lead to measurable results. At least, I think that’s what is being expressed.

For me, the conversations that form the basis for tangible actions and measurable results are Possibility, Ownership, and Commitment. I tried to craft some questions that follow the model of other Civic Engagement questions, that fit into those three conversations, and that (I think) have some power to move toward action and measurable results. I crafted the questions first and then tried to fit them into conversational categories. One of them seemed to fit best under the Dissent conversation, which seems to negate my first sentence in this paragraph. Anyway, here they are:

Commitment:
What commitment am I willing to make toward the well-being of the whole?

Possibility:
How will I know that the possibility I have named improves the well-being of the whole?

Ownership:
What promise am I willing to make to improve the well-being of the whole?

Dissent:
What commitment am I withholding (from the group/someone else)?

Another thought I have is that it is not questions that lead toward action and measurable results, but the context and purpose of the event/group. Since most CES conversations have been ad hoc and did not form with around specific purpose, they, naturally, have not resulted in action. However, since most groups form with a purpose, the goal of CES (and other models such as CES) is to provide context for action, not lead to action. As I said, just a thought.
________________________________________________________

Hello,
Understanding that we are having this conversation tomorrow because we have all worked with and appreciate the value of ‘the conversations,’ I would like to add some last minute questions:

Ownership & Commitment
What is the relationship between ‘ownership and ‘commitment’ conversations?

Specifically, does your commitment come from what you ‘owned’ in the ownership discussion? In other words, if you claim your part of the problem – the way that you contribute to the problem either by action or inaction – does it logically follow that you commit to fixing what you just owned?

Group Dynamics
What do you do if you are not the inviter?

Specifically, how do you lead ‘from the side’ of the room even if you are not in charge of the meeting? The conversations in the short booklet from Peter Block are specific and the language is careful. How do you integrate the values and language into existing committees or meetings that you did not initiate but have a stake in?

And for what it’s worth ... I would like to throw out a paraphrased quote I heard a few weeks ago. It was from a friend of a friend who knows organizational development and the paraphrase goes like this:

“Change happens at the pace of sense-making.”

It really resonated with me and I’ve been turning that thought over in my head ever since I heard it. This discussion seems like a good place to repeat it since we are talking about conversation, action, and change.

Thank you all for setting up this discussion

Greetings all,
This is part of my challenge related to achieving commitment and subsequent movement (action) toward the goal:

Folks get passionate about something, make a commitment but don't always want to handle the "work" that is required to carry out the action.

So I am not sure how to have a conversation that creates commitment to tasks...one could say that the tasks should be accomplished by those who have committed to working on the idea/plan etc. but that is not always the case.

Just more ramblings for tomorrow. I look forward to our conversation!

Regards,

Hi There,
We've had similar struggles in creating a bridge from "talk" to "action." Coming from an organization where we place the highest value on building relationships and trust between people, I do think that "connecting is action." But I also think that people want to make an impact on pressing community issues and need a tangible "issue" to think about and work on with others. We've had some success with questions that are focused on specific issues. I agree that Possibility, Ownership, and Commitment are most powerful for creating action, but I am not sure that they need to be completely related to each other in the context of the conversation. I've included some questions below that we have used in our current community initiative focused on aging in Sarasota County:

On Wellness:
• What things are you doing that enhance your own wellness?
• What do you want to begin to do?
• What are some things you can do in your own family or neighborhood to help encourage wellness?

On Neighborhood Organizing:
• How can you be involved to support elders living in your neighborhood?
• What are the possibilities for neighborhood associations in supporting elders who live in their neighborhood?
• Who can you invite from your neighborhood who may be interested in this topic or in helping make this happen?

---Hello,
Having been in the field of aging for over the last 20 years, I was very interested in Joe's and SCOPE's project, questions and comments. They were much more straight forward than those we come up with in Cincinnati. It seems like we go out of our way to make the questions overly vague and ambiguous. Joe's questions, as straight forward as they are, never would have made it through our critique.
I hope these comments are not heresy, but I like Joe's questions.
Thanks

How can we help people to not be overwhelmed by the “grandness” of their commitment?

Taken from poet, David Whyte, who shared how he went from being a biologist to a “professional corporate” poet by saying to himself everyday – “What is one thing I can do related to poetry that will move me 1 step closer to the desired end result of supporting myself as a poet?”
Some days, he simply read poetry, or wrote a poem, or shared his vision. But, everyday he found someway to bring poetry into his life. In less than a year, he was able to quit his job and support his family with his new career as a corporate poet. Wow!
“What is one small thing I can do today to reduce racism in Cincinnati?”

______________________________________________________________

3. THE CONFERENCE CALL

“Who are you, why did you join us this morning and why is it important to you?”

“Share a story where you had an amazing or successful experience actualizing or handing-off a sustained effort or where action came alive?”

“What struck you about today’s conversation?”

The conference call was recorded

Comment by Dan Joyner on October 9, 2008 at 9:34pm

Conversation and Conference Call from Last Year

9/4/07
What Would It Be Like If We Had Another SCOPE/ASG Conversation?
An Invitation for another SCOPE / ASG Conversation
• Share a “Highlight” about your work, over the last year
• Ask “Powerful Questions” like: “Why are we here?”
• State your intention for this conversation
• Just observe and see what emerges
Dan Joyner

9/6/07
I would like to stretch my capacity to focus on conversations when I don't have a visual connection and many people are involved. It is a different kind of listening.
Sign me up,
Jane Masters

9/12/07
Absolutely would relish this opportunity! Thanks. Count me in.
Mag Casarez

9/17/07
I look forward to participating in another conversation. I like Jane's direction.
And I would like to explore how we use our conversational processes to help a group develop a "direction" toward some goal/outcome. That is always a challenge. I know we have talked about this before but perhaps some new insights will emerge.
Thanks
Suzanne Gregory

Some things that are going on in my head today:
Last week and over the weekend, we are at the Ideafestival in Louisville.
http://www.ideafestival.com/
One of the events we attended was for the "This I Believe" series on NPR. During the Q&A, Elaine asked the presenter what I thought was a pretty powerful question: "How have you changed as a result of reading the essays."
Modifying that for ASG and the CES process: "How have you changed as a result of participating in these conversations?"
The attached document is one I found at this web site:
http://www.globalvoices.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13&Itemid=1
It is an IBM sponsored report on citizen engagement. I have not yet printed it out to review it in detail, but it looks like it resonates a lot with the CES process.
I will be there to participate in the conversation.
I am with Suzanne: How do we use the conversational process to help a group form a direction? Or to form a direction for ourselves?
Eric Hansen

9/18/07
First - Dan thanks so much for initiating this conversation. To
respond to your question - why am I here?
I am here because it is a place where we can have real conversations, where we can express our dissent, bump into great thinkers who challenge us (me). These conversations are helping me to discover what I really believe.
It is affirming to know how many great people care about making this a better world. All those who are part of ASG and the CES gatherings inspire me to keep on keepin on.
Like Eric, I came away from the Idea Festival with new thoughts and ideas. It blew me away to hear Cameron Sinclair (Architects for Humanity) share what his organization has done and is doing to make the world a better place. We also learned that Cameron has been to Cincinnati talking with Tom Dudeen (I'm sure I spelled that wrong) and Peter about using their processes in OTR. Way cool.
The questions are changing me as I see the power in them. It is making me aware how important it is to be curious first. When I am in a difficult situation and can remember to do it, asking someone "can you tell me more about that?" bears amazing fruit for both me and the speaker.
I could go on and on, but I will pause and listen
Elaine Hanson

10/22/07
The question for me at this moment – “How can I offer my gifts without fear?” or “What would fearlessness, in me, look like, in my work?”

10/30/07
CONFERENCE CALL CONVERSATION (RECORDED)

10/30/07
Every time I engage in such dialogue I feel more connected, even with those invisible folks in Florida. Whether I was speaking or listening I gained understanding. There is a very special quality to the listening that helps me more fully understand what I am thinking and feeling.

When we spoke of the low esteem in which Cincinnati is held by many of her inhabitants I tied together John McKnight's Asset Based Community Development concepts and came up with this:

We spend too much time focused on the asses in the community and not enough celebrating the assets. When I shared this with Collette she extended the thought by attributing gender to the terms, ass being masculine and asset(e) the feminine. I am not gender bashing here but recognizing that much of what we are talking about is bringing more feminine ways of being into all communication and connection.

Jane Masters

11/13/07
Hello Everybody,

The October 30th conference call recording is available. To listen to the conversation, follow the Play Back instructions below…

I believe there are four items that we agreed to follow up with: 1. to share the results of the Spring Grove Village Civic Engagement session, 2. to get the ASG website “questions link” active so we all can share and learn powerful questions, 3. to continue email communication among ourselves, 4. to have another conversation before the end of the year with a focus on citizenship.

Please feel free to add any points that I may have missed regarding the conference call and topics for follow up…

REFLECTION: “What struck you about the October 30th Conversation?”

Regards,
Dan Joyner


Play Back Instructions

Play Back Number – (641) 715-3456
Access Code – 586298#

12/3/07
Planning questions for the next SCOPE/ASG Conference Call

“If you were to leave the next SCOPE/ASG Conference Call and felt enthused, what would we have come up with?”

“What’s possible from an ASG/SCOPE Community of Practice?”