Opportunities - was Challenges :-)

Replies to This Conversation

Permalink Reply by John Inman on August 20, 2009 at 7:15pm

Amy great question. Here is a short answer. If we were a wine site there would not be posts for motorcycles on the site. There are those out there who only want to advertise and we are not that medium. We are a community of people doing conversation work or wanting to learn how to do conversation work. And even then one must be careful. There are those who will go to the etymology of conversation bring a whole new thread into the site. So these groups should have guidelines and we should review. So let's work on creating guidelines and explore who can help you as this may become overwhelming. Just let us know where you need the help. We are glad to help.

John

Permalink Reply by Amy Lenzo on August 21, 2009 at 2:29pm

Thanks so much for your great input and your willingness to help, John. I very much look forward to your thoughts on what these guidelines should be.

Hugs,

Amy

Permalink Reply by Ulrich Soeder on August 21, 2009 at 9:42am

Hi Amy,

I think a charter would help, as I have mentioned before. And I think this could be a first project for this online community as a whole. To turn this into specific guidelines might be the task of this group here, but to develop a charter, wouldn't that be a great project for this community not to talk about activities, but to get active?

What is the intent, what are some basic guidelines to embody the spirit we want to steward here?

What follows are some initial thoughts. If this group resonates with it, we could initiate a new conversation and invite everyone to participate.


Preliminary Draft: Elements for a World Café Online Community Charter

The function of a charter
A charter has the function of a compass. It will help us to have an eye on the big picture and to keep track in stewarding the essence / the spirit of the World Café and how it is embodied in this online community collectively.
A public charter will produce violations, not eliminate them!
Once we agree on having a charter, violations become visible. Without a charter, there are no violations! Without a charter it is a matter of personal taste and personal integrity to address an issue that does not resonate with one’s own ethic or aspiration for this online community. A charter gives the community a tool for collective integrity that empowers everyone to care for the community. Everyone in this community should see himself/herself as a steward of this online community. This is an invitation for accountability! The charter can be the (until now) not missing, but only implicit link. Then, the »us« will get alive.
As violations will be the natural consequence, the spirit of agreeing on a charter should be to learn together from such violations. Addressing issues does not mean to put people to court, but to invite them to explore reasons, basic assumptions and, by noticing them, create a space for new decisions and an overall climate of learning together.

How can we create a charter together?
Many of us should give input. We can think of online cafés, of illustrating possible charters (this is an invitation to the visual practitioners in this community) – visualization might help to understand what is really meant with words …
To craft a charter could be the first collective activity of this online community (and make it be a community).
Ideas welcome.

Here are some first suggestions for the elements of a charter:

Intent
To host a sustainable online space for people who are interested in learning together about the World Café and other dialogue and change processes
in order to explore how to best face today’s global urgent challenges
and the roles of dialogue, leadership, and community in inspiring, coordinating and effecting individual and collective action.


Guidelines for Content
Any contents on this website should be related to the World Café method/process or dialogue and change processes for the world. For example:
• 7 World Café design principles
• Qualities of hosting
• World Café excellence
• World Café training programs
• Blending World Café with other approaches of dialogue, change and development
• Good and best practice examples of World Cafés
• ...


Willingness to contribute
Everyone in this online community is balancing self-interest and contributing to the greater good.
• No advertising only.
• Transparency about own economic interests. No hidden agenda in this respect.
• Watch out for declared selflessness!
• What is more important when economic interests and a culture of dialogue compete with each other due to time pressure, for example?

Willingness to learn together
• While agreeing on a shared charter will be an important step in laying the foundations for the culture in this online community, we all will do and not do things to hinder this community to thrive. This aspect is sometimes called the shadow. While the vision is the kind of heaven on earth we want to co-create, we all have other intentions in that we want to hinder some kind of hell to open it’s doors. Internal conflicts are a natural consequence.
• Willingness to stay in inquiry and for shared reflection and learning.




Some personal comments

When I think of my experience in Europe in the past two years, a no-go for me in a learning community is the unwillingness for shared reflection and stepping out of inquiry in the middle of action. Depending on what we want to create here, that might be an invitation for inquiry. It should not invite policing and blaming one another, but learning!

Another no-go for me is the denial of or intransparency about economic interests. It is natural that many of us work as consultants and earn their living by working with World Café and other methods. What I don't like at all is that these interests are buried under a mask of selflessness when in the end it is all about the own profit. This is why I think we should reflect about how we could craft some guidelines about balancing self interest and the greater good.

I'm looking forward to your comments.

Permalink Reply by Amy Lenzo on August 21, 2009 at 2:27pm

Thanks so much Ulrich! I won't have a time to really read these ideas in depth for a couple of days, but I very much appreciate your initiative and your deep thinking about the good of this community. I look forward to taking a next pass at the "Charter" and invite anyone else who is drawn to do so, to do so also.

I don't want to think in terms of "violations" and I think Ria is right that for those who don't really care a Charter is not going to deter them, but if we have stated our intentions and made a clear invitation, then at least we know what we're working with when the response is otherwise.

Warmest Wishes,

Amy

Permalink Reply by Raffi Aftandelian on September 15, 2009 at 10:20pm

Hi all!
Like my Moscow friend and colleague Elina Chizhevskaya with whom we are creating a sister Ning network for Russian-speaking trainers, consultants, and facilitators, I have an interest in learning from your experience and sharing what might be of value. (And again, Amy, thanks so much for giving the gift of your time with us. In the space of those 40 minutes, we learned so much!)

Ulrich, I really like the content and overall direction of the thinking behind the charter.

And, I wonder, if the intent here is to create a virtual extension of greeting new people at a party or work-focused but energized by play informal gathering, what seeks to be communicated- if anything- to new people and how and by whom? What place is there here for mentors/buddies?

I hope we can find an alternative to the word "charter"-- it brings us close to the word "rule", I think. And my hope is that there are enough people here who formally, informally, or in an emergent manner are holding this space that we can gently support people in reminding them about what this space is about. Let me be clear: I am not suggesting that there isn't a place for such a document like what you are suggesting.

Perhaps the experience of the Open Space electronic list might also be of value. I rather this document, which sets the tone for conversation on the list. From time to time - but not very often-- there are some emotional exchanges, but somehow it just settles down...

Also, I wonder if the new tool for contracting, the State of Grace Document - originated by two WC friends, Maureen and Zelle, might be a way of framing our thinking about such a document. It would take a little bit of thinking to adopt this tool for our purposes, but much about the idea of the document really is applicable to our context.

What we're talking about is not a charter, it's partly an invitation...but not just an invitation.

Also, it's worth visiting the question: "What are our non-negotiables?" -- and to be clear on that.

And in your words Ulrich, I infer that even when those non-negotiables aren't followed, we don't go and just kick someone out.

For example, I'd be a little apprehensive about being a little inflexible about people just advertising events. I don't really care for that, but I don't think it's terribly disruptive, if there's a way of posting something quietly without it detracting from the overall space--- if we have a place for that kind of advertising. What would be that virtual equivalent of that counter space or rack space at a heavily visited local cafe where it's totally fine to drop by and leave some flyers or cards or whatever?

Might hospitable space also mean-- to a degree, at least-- somewhat messy, disheveled space?

good to be here! and making these new connections!
warmly,
raffi

Permalink Reply by juanita brown on August 21, 2009 at 7:08pm

Hi Ulric,
I love this thinking. It's a wonderful beginning to the larger community conversation. I especially like your statement of Intent--clear and to the point...as well as inclusive of those who have interests and contribution that are complimentary to TWC.
With fond regards,
Juanita

Permalink Reply by Beth Alexander on October 2, 2009 at 9:01pm

If I take a look at this community space through the eyes of someone who finds their way here and is not at all familiar with the World Cafe -- at first glance I'm not sure I could recognize the purpose or greater context of this network. The space is interesting, warm, and inviting, and I feel drawn to participate. I take the steps to sign up, and through the process I could begin to see what this community is about, but I may, like many people tend to do, skip right through the profile questions so I can start participating right away in the community.

While I love this sentence: "Pull up a chair at the World Cafe Community table that calls to you - Write in your Own Language, Follow your Passion, & Invite Others to Join the Conversation!" I'm wondering if it's not too broad and open to multiple interpretations outside our shared experience of the World Cafe. Perhaps clarifying our purpose or adding an intention statement similar to Ulrich's above to the "Welcome box" on the front page would help further set the context. If we want to leave the welcome box as is, perhaps we can add an "About Us" page.

A next step could then be setting the context further through a charter for lack of a better word, as Ulrich suggests, or a set of community agreements (why are we here, what do we as members expect to get out of participating, what do we each intend to contribute, how will we treat one another, etc.)

Raffi makes a very good point about "visiting the question: "What are our non-negotiables?" -- and to be clear on that."

Permalink Reply by Raffi Aftandelian on October 2, 2009 at 10:33pm

On the question of intention, I'm remembering what I read in Chris Corrigan's blog: that it's important to frame intention in a positive way, otherwise it lacks meaningful meaning and power.

A good intention, building on the the thinking of that post is about dedication. And by extension, perhaps it's worth considering question:

"To what is this community space dedicated?"

While identifying those non-negotiables (or "givens" as Birgitt Williams of the Genuine Contact Program has called it) is important, I think it is important to remember that ultimately there is no such thing as a non-negotiable. It's really just a current learning/grown edge for the community, organization, and person.

So, perhaps, another practical way of coming at the question is to ask something along the lines of, "What is the minimum amount of structure necessary for people to safe enough to show up and contribute here?"

Permalink Reply by Ria Baeck on August 21, 2009 at 1:21pm

Hello Amy,

You are raising questions about the boundary of this community; and I think it is good that these are clearly stated. It's like an identity. Making clear boundaries doesn't mean that there is no hospitable space - the point is if these people are interested in the same topic/question/learning - no, they are not. Actually I wouldn't see a problem in removing or blocking these people and their postings. Actually I would expect that from you/the webmaster that they keep an eye on that and that I don't come across those people/posts/comments.

Your question: "Should there be any restrictions or criteria for who's able to start a "group"? We currently ask that people who want to start a group must be willing to care for it, but are there other criteria we should be using, like that the groups should be about the World Cafe in some way, or they should only be able to be started by people who are already in the World Cafe somehow?"
I think a Charter is good for internal clarity, but people who don't care where they are, will not be stopped by this charter. I would just have some people who are responsible to keep an eye on these matters and let they decide. In Spiral Dynamics terms, don't be too Green! In other words: don't be too inclusive; to the point that the value is diminished.

Your question: "Should we make this community invitation-only, so we know where people are coming in from?"
To me that would go against the use of a social platform... but you could state that if they don't fill in the questions and make themselves known, that they will be blocked.

Your question: "What about people who only ever post their events and make no contribution or have no interaction otherwise?"
I would be very clear and radical: just delete.

Your question: "Are there any limits on the kind of events/blogs/conversations/etc. we are comfortable having posted?"
Yes, it should all be related to the world café in each of it's understandings and about its principles.

Your question: On another level altogether, we've had some real challenges with the Buddies and Mentors process - mainly that there are twice as many people who want buddies than there are willing to be a buddy, and that many of the people offering to be Mentors are not experienced enough to really carry out the role.
Reagarding the Mentors... in the Art of Hosting community we are faced with a similar topic. People want to start AoH trainings in their local language, but they are not experienced enough to do so really well. We are hitting the limits of self-organising systems and we need to look as a network what is the right thing to do here. I don't have any easy answers...

From a similar kind of frustration point...
Ria

Permalink Reply by Amy Lenzo on August 21, 2009 at 2:22pm

Thank you, Ria!

Beautiful, helpful responses. I so appreciate you!

Amy

Permalink Reply by Ulrich Soeder on August 23, 2009 at 12:20am

Hi all,

I see a logical sequence that leads from defining an intent (know why), deciding on a strategy (know what), implement specific actions (know how) and looking for the results one gets.
How you limit access to this community or not, crafting guidelines for content are important aspects, but they already assume a direction.
That is why I 'd like to start with crafting an intent ... while thinking about the actions to take might be an access route to what we really want this (online) community to be, as well.

While we are talking about the World Café Online Community here – what about the actual World Café Community (without the online aspect)?

I have started a conversation on the underlying principles of the World Café in the group on methods for strategic collaboration. I see the topics I touched in that comment are directly linked to the discussion here about how to care for this online community in creating an intent and maybe crafting some guidelines.


Have a great Sunday!

Ulrich

Permalink Reply by Ulrich Soeder on August 23, 2009 at 12:24am

Dear Ria,

when you mention a frustration point that is referring to your hosting online communities, could you tell more about your experience? What is the aspiration / vision that has been frustrated and what are your learnings from this?

To me it sounds like your experience could be a rich inspiration for this community!

Cheers, Ulrich

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