Hosting Conversations about Questions that Matter
World Cafe Japanese Style
I met Yuya-san at the Pegasus conference last November in Seattle. Where there have normally been 4 or 5 people from Japan at Pegasus in the past, in November there were over twenty. It was pretty amazing. Yuya-san was among them.
I started my own relationship with Japan 40 years ago when I escaped there as during my senior year in college. My life and learning in Japan have been a central part of who I am. It is my home spiritual ground. If you read my recent blog on my website - www.resilientcommunities.org -- you'll see that my experience was of a soul level "TADAIMA." I'm home. It was incredible.
So there were two events. The first was a workshop for 20 or so people held over a weekend. It was a combination of my Art of Change and Enspirited Leadership work and a precursor for a possible Art of Hosting. The second was a four hour long Dialogue Bar with more than 100 people on a Monday evening. WOW!
Where do I begin? First, I found such a deep resonance in Japan for and with this work. People know how to listen. They know how to be respectful. They know how to inquire. They know how to keep silence. These are all deep cultural competencies. We were able to build a field of respect and trust with astonishing speed. And the creativity:
Clay we used for modeling early on the first day came back into the Cafe rounds in the afternoon. The level of agility with nonverbal expression was just incredible. Later, when we were using Open Space, the harvesting was equally concise and clear:
What I learned is that World Cafe is being used extensively in business in Japan these days. Appreciative Inquiry is as well. What Yuya-san and his colleagues yearn for is to bring it into Civil Society where important conversations are needed now.Yuya hopes to one day hold a World Cafe with 10,000 people, but he's willing to start small with a couple of thousand to begin!
The Dialogue Bar was one example of "starting small." More than 100 people came for five hours of conversation. The youngest was in her teens, the oldest looked to be close to eighty. They came from all walks of life. The context for their coming was that I shared a bit of my life story with them as well as some of my findings about Enspirited Leadership. But they really came for conversation. Lively, animated, intense conversation about what it takes for social innovation to make enough of a difference to make a difference.
World Cafe is a form people seem comfortable with in Japan. It is intimate, yet with some protections. It is well documented and not just some "flakey" way of doing things. Heck, the Prime Minister even has the book! And the hunger for conversation that matters is just amazing. People know things need to change. And they know they need to be part of that change.
Naho, the young woman who was our graphic recorder for the weekend will be the next speaker at Dialogue Bar. Just imagine the pictures she'll get them to draw!
Replies to This Conversation
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Permalink Reply by Susan Szpakowski on -
Very inspiring, Bob. Thank you for sharing this.
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Permalink Reply by Amy Lenzo on -
Brilliant, Bob! Thank you so much for sharing this story!! And a big thank you and congratulations to Yuya for the amazing work he is doing in Japan... You paint such a beautiful image, Bob. I can't wait to visit and see for myself.
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Permalink Reply by Bob Stilger on -
Thanks Amy -- but what I wrote doesn't even begin to do justice to what happened. I am still at a loss for words. The sessions were just incredible. Part of this was deeply personal. I've always known that Japanese culture has had a deep impact on me. In these sessions I saw more of why I am who I am. It was very meaningful!
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Permalink Reply by Michael Shell on -
Bob,
I am inspired by what I read. I live in Japan now. Do you if there are any communities like this currently in Japan?
Michael
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Permalink Reply by Bob Stilger on
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Hi Michael, a very dynamic and alive one. I'm with some of them at Kiyosato right now. Where in Japan are you based?
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Permalink Reply by Michael Shell on
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Bob - Nice to hear from you. I'm in Kawasaki City. Where is Kiyosato?
I am looking to find some leadership training work. I'm doing a little already but I've only been here 5 months and am looking for new opportunities. Know of anyone I can talk to regarding that?
I hope you have a nice Sunday. We are heading to Haroichiban this morning.
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Permalink Reply by Bob Stilger on
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Kiyosato is in Yamanashi Prefecture, a couple of hours on the Chou-sen from Tokyo.
Seems to me there are huge opportunities now in Japan, but they are found by being part of community. Let me watch for the next opportunity to invite you into some of the community I experience here. You can get a sense of the work I've been doing by looking over some blogs from last year at www.resilientcommunities.org
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Permalink Reply by Michael Shell on
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Bob,
Thank you for your support. I like your blog and what you're about. I would be interested in collaborating with you if you see that as a possibility?
Warm Regards,
Michael
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