
WALT ROBERTS / GAME CHANGER

"I wouldn't give a fig for the simplicity on this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity."
----Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
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I'm a co-founder of Changing The Game; Power Politics and Participation (and the Change Design Lab), a partner with Transformation Systems International and a board member of The Performance Center.
I'm interested in advancing the art, science and application of generative discourse design and social transformation technologies.
My process design work focuses on the personal, the purposeful and the pragmatic in order to move beyond agreement and generating a conversation for alignment.
I offer design frameworks, integrated designs and orchestration services for; cooperative solution processes, collaborative change initiatives and social change movements that must transcend political and idealogical divides to be successful.
These services are applicable to: conferences, public engagement processes, community forums, education/awareness campaigns, initiatives, alliances, coalitions and social movements.
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"Power, properly understood, is the ability to achieve purpose. It is the strength required to bring about social, political, or economic changes. In this sense power is not only desirable but necessary in order to implement the demands of love and justice. One of the greatest problems of history is that the concepts of love and power are usually contrasted as polar opposites. Love is identified with a resignation of power and power with a denial of love. What is needed is a realization that power without love is reckless and abusive and that love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love." -- Martin Luther King Jr.

Walt Roberts 1722 NE Clackamas Street Portland, Oregon 97232
Phone: 503-335-3200
Email:
[email protected]Twitter: http://twitter.com/Waltsearch
Facebook: http://profile.to/waltsearch/
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/waltsearch
Blog / Web-Site: http://waltsearch.wordpress.com/
Changing The Game / Change Design Lab: changingthegame.us
Transformation Systems International: http://tsi4results.com/
The Performance Center: http://www.performancecenter.org/
My current effort and focus:
- Transpartisan Politics: Organizing, coordinating and catalyzing a transpartisan movement to shift our polarizing win-lose political game to a more respectful, civil and cooperative win-win political game.
- Transboundary Collaboration: Advancing innovation in the design of transboundary (bridging divides) processes for breakthrough cooperation, collaboration and partnerships.
- Transformation Technologies: Effectively applying profound (social and performance) transformation technologies to the existing "practical" civic dialogue and deliberation processes (community meetings, policy summits, town hall meetings, public hearings, etc.)
The Services I provide:
- Breakthrough Meetings with Keypad Polling; Overcoming the normal limits of large-group process with the purposeful and expert use of electronic, audience response, keypad polling technology
- Sourcing Circles and Collaborative Design Services; Bringing transformation, sourcing/presencing, and generative frameworks and processes to the work of any collaborative design team as they co-create any dialogue and deliberation process, event,
meeting, summit, change initiative, alliance development and/or
coalition building - Generative Process Design, Orchestration and Facilitation; Frame, theme, purpose and process design, orchestration and facilitation for strategic planning meetings, conferences, summits, town halls, public hearings, open houses, community meetings and all
sorts of large-group dialogue, deliberation and decision making events - Transboundary Convening Design; Special services and tools for bringing disparate and divided groups together to find common ground, build bridges and forge unlikely partnerships.
- Alliance and Coalition Design, Facilitation and Development; Applying generative process services to the creation of more formal and enduring entities.
- On-Line Networking, Information Sharing and Collaboration Integration; Identifying and implementing the right set of (existing, popular and usually free) internet based spaces, services and tools to work in concert with face to face meetings and vice verse.
- Integral Forum Design; Connecting, integrating and aligning multiple conveners and conferences over time to make critical connections within and between topic "silos" (all of the previously described services come in to play
for this). - Client and Project Examples.
What I Attend To and Intend To Impact:
- Context: Ability and means to see the larger system (Whole Systems/Integral/ The Human Commons)
- Complexity: Ability to see patterns and appreciate multiple perspectives on the topics of common concern. (The simplicity on the other side of complexity)
- Civility: Transcending feelings and tones of aggression, hostility and divisiveness ( Communicating and relating responsibly and authentically)
- Citizen Empowerment: Awakening and enabling the citizen side of citizen/consumer (Engaged, Leadership, Agency)
- Community and Civic Agency: Enhancing our sense of relatedness and influence in regard to our place and those who share it (Structure for Belonging, Social Capital)
- Creative Convening: The art and science of inviting, conversing and making connections (Creating Opportunities to Cooperate and Collaborate)
- Creative Partnerships: Integrating the profound and the practical processes for "Generative" interaction and collaborative partnerships (Dialogue, Deliberation and Decision Making)
- Cooperative Solutions, Governance and Public Policy: Whole systems solutions, projects, programs and policies that are elegant, workable and sustainable answers/responses to wicked challenges and opportunities.
What I'm About:
- Supporting creative community connections, conversations, cooperation and collaboration
- Aligning connections, conversations, intentions and actions to common vision/purpose / goals
- Fostering citizen engagement and empowerment for greater civic agency
- Encouraging transboundary (bridging divides) connections and collaborations
- Moving Movements; The watershed planning, sustainability and transpartisan political movements for example
- Integrating profound transformation systems and social technologies with the existing "practical" ones.
- Causing breakthrough conversations, processes and results
- Catalyzing the sustainable generation of social, economic and environmental well-being.... for all.
What I am Frequently Invited to Work On:
- Public Forums and Citizen Involvement Events
- Association Meetings or Conferences
- Group Dialogue, Deliberation, Problem Solving and Decision Meetings
- Community Planning Meetings
- Transportation or Land Use Planning Events
- Conferences, Seminars, Workshops and Trainings
- Strategic and Transformation Planning Events
- Brain-storming, and Creative Sessions
- Search Conferences and Visioning Events
- Charrettes and Collaborative Design Events
- Focus Groups and Group Dialogue Sessions
- Group Assessment and Team Building Events
- Product Design, Evaluation and JAD Processes
- Organizing, Mobilization and Action Research Processes
I have done some work with for-profit corporations but I have spent the majority of my energy working with governments, associations, non-profits, schools and community groups. The topics and issues have been wide ranging and include transportation and land use planning, tax reform, school-to-work issues, economic development, sustainable fisheries, fish and wildlife habitat conservation, ecosystem based resource management (Columbia Basin), watershed planning, community development, education reform, workforce development, corporate social responsibility, sustainable coffee, affordable housing, public health, and others.

Walt Roberts 1722 NE Clackamas Street Portland, Oregon 97232
Phone: 503-335-3200
Email:
[email protected]Twitter: http://twitter.com/Waltsearch
Facebook: http://profile.to/waltsearch/
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/waltsearch
Blog / Web-Site: http://waltsearch.wordpress.com/
Changing The Game / Change Design Lab: changingthegame.us
Transformation Systems International: http://tsi4results.com/
The Performance Center: http://www.performancecenter.org/
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Walt,
I'm excited to learn more about your living room project. will chat with you sometime.