Art of Hosting
Landcare South East NSW Community of Practice
30 October – 2 November 2022, The Pines Tuross Head
What’s possible when our communities bravely come together
to have conversations that matter?
This was the calling question for this Art of Hosting training for the NSW South East Landcare Community of Practice, which emerged from several years of practice and a desire to learn more. It was called by Linda Cavanagh and Marien Stark.
We gathered at The Pines at Tuross Head, to explore the questions that we are passionate about, and practice new ways of working together to nourish, inspire and renew.
Over four days we were immersed in an experience for deepening competency and confidence in hosting participatory group processes, and our own personal leadership.
This training and the practice is experiential. Everyone was invited to step up to practice hosting and harvesting for the training, with the support of the hosting team, and to space, beauty and care - being part of a self organising community.
PRACTICES
The Art of Hosting is more than a suite of methods – it’s also a practice field for hosting conversations that matter and our learning comes from practice. We were introduced and invited into these foundational practices:
The Four Fold Practice
This is the underlying practice of the Art of Hosting - what's underneath it all, the DNA if you like. Exploring this, we identified where we thought our strengths and stretches in these practices may be. For more, see page 7 in the digital practice guide or watch this video.
The Circle Way
Circle spans the three layers of Art of Hosting — practice, pattern and process. It helps us remember ancient ways of meeting and making wise decisions together. We experienced circles in a number of different ways (and sizes!). We checked in and out of each day in a circle, we held smaller circles to practice hosting this way of being in dialogue together and we reflected on how we might use circle (and circle principles and practices) in our own contexts.
For more, see page 10 in the digital practice guide
and the links below:
The Art of Harvesting
What if we’re not planning for a meeting, but we’re planning for a harvest?
We design our conversations around the ‘harvest’ we want to produce. The results we are seeking help to determine what processes we use and how.
Harvesting is a practice that begins well before the event, during the event and also continues afterwards.
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The harvesting metaphor and how it applies to hosting conversations and work that matters.
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The principles of harvesting - PLUME
We also practiced using a matrix to map out the harvest of our training, as a way of understanding more about the intangible (outcomes) and tangible (outputs).
For more information about the Art of Harvesting see page 71 in the digital practice guide.
Designing from harvest is a simple version of participatory design that we became familiar with during the training. The hosting team used it to support those of us stepping up to co-host during the training. We also use it to think through, prepare and coach each other in our work.
Invitation
Invitation is more than just how we invite people into conversations or work that matters. It’s a practice and attitude all of its own. The quality of the outcomes from participatory work is directly related to the quality, intention and active nature of invitation.
We learned the useful mnemonic ‘VALUE’ which represents a set of principles for invitation practice.
For more, see page 11 in the digital practice guide and the links below:
A little secret to participatory leadership: the art of invitation
PATTERNS
Conversations that begin from the perspective of worldview exploration are a way to invite people into dialogue. It is also important to understand some of the underlying patterns, or worldviews, that support the Art of Hosting and participatory leadership:
The Breath Pattern
Every group meeting or larger initiative follows a repeating pattern. This pattern was named by Sam Kaner and his colleagues as "The Diamond of Participation". It's as natural as breathing, which is why it is known in the Art of Hosting community as "the Breath Pattern". As a host, it pays to know this pattern and how to navigate through it with your group for more meaningful results.
For more see page 15 in the
digital practice guide.
Living Systems
An introduction to Living Systems, a core pattern that underpins participatory practice and the Art of Hosting, and how it intersects with another, mainstream worldview - that of the mechanistic system. We are beginning to understand and treat organisations and communities more like living systems than static machines. See page 21 in the digital practice guide for more information.
The Chaordic Path
The Chaordic Path is another fundamental pattern underlying Art of Hosting practice. It was first described by founding CEO of Visa International, Dee Hock. “At the edge of chaos” is where life innovates, where things are not hard-wired, but are flexible enough for new connections and solutions to occur. New levels of order become possible out of chaos. Hosting is a practice of walking this chaordic path, holding space and processes to allow emergence and innovation to happen.
See page 13 in the digital practice guide, and the Chaordic Stepping Stones below.
Cynefin framework
The Cynefin framework is used to identify appropriate decision making and responses to problems. The Art of Hosting practices and processes are used to address challenges in the complex domain. We looked at these patterns through our own experiences in work and life.
For more, see page 18 in the digital practice guide.
PROCESSES
We learned, experienced and reflected on some of the core and best known participatory processes that are part of Art of Hosting.
The World Cafe
We participated in a World Cafe, a powerful conversation process for digging beneath and moving beyond opinion and position and moving to new and shared understanding. We explored the following questions:
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Round 1: What are the conversations we really need to have now in our communities?
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Round 2: Why are we not having these conversations?
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Round 3: What would it take for us to host those conversations?
We spent each round experiencing and practicing deeper dialogue, harvesting our key insights at the end of each round. Here's a summary:
Round 1
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Future
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What do we want the future of agriculture to look like?
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How do we adapt to the new normal?
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Climate
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Values
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Self sustaining communities
Round 2
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Disempowered
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Prepared to accept less
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Lost the Art
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Too hard basket
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Outdated structures
Round 3
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Courage
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Disruption
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Groundswell
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Joy
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Using what we have
Appreciative Inquiry: Storytelling Trios
An introduction to Appreciative Inquiry as an approach to engaging stakeholders in self-determined change, and to storytelling trios as a process of storytelling, deepening connection and harvesting insights. For more, see page 41 in the digital practice guide.
Sharing the roles of storyteller, listener and witness, we all had a chance to share a story of a time we stepped up with courage.
Listeners harvested the conditions that supported us to bravely host those conversations (or not). Here are some of them:
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Active listening
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Quality time
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Supportive and safe environment
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Being self aware
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Practiced conversations > prior consideration
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Trust
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External culture > change
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Refocus to opportunity
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A shared solution / way forward
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Anger and frustration
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Commitment
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Good questions
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Unwanted answers and acceptance
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Feels like there is no other option
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Mutual respect
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A longing to be our best / authentic selves
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Acknowledging what’s at stake
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Choosing your moment
Levels of Speaking and Listening
We were introduced to the 4 levels of listening and speaking and sensing interviews from The Presencing Institute (Theory U, U Lab). Here’s a diagram with more information about them. Also see page 43 of the digital practice guide.
Open Space Technology
We were introduced to Open Space Technology, a powerful process to support conversations and work to happen, especially when there is diversity and great need. For more information about Open Space Technology, see page 36 in the digital practice guide.
During the training, we created our own agenda, and self-organised in Open Space to consider the question: What are the conversations we need to have now? We hosted and participated in a range of rich and diverse conversations:
What is the future for Landcare?
Kaye
Key takeaway: Need a strategy reset (need & purpose) at all levels. How can we focus the convergence without losing diversity?
Next steps: Showcase for SEL, a strategy reset
How can we overcome barriers to sharing our “things” in regional communities?
Alison
Key takeaway: Start where you are at: street level, audit of things, visual storytelling. Who needs this?
Next steps: Invitation – Garden hose / rake and shovel event. Before you buy database
How can we better respond to the impacts of natural disasters on biodiversity / native flora and fauna?
Andrew
Key takeaway: How do we get government to respond better to environment and community needs post disaster?
Next steps: Who are the stakeholders? How can they be consulted in decision making process?
How can communities become resilient to natural disasters?
Katie
Key takeaway: Developing a plan that is: Fit for purpose, able to be delivered, easy to use, community led.
Next steps: Write a simple plan, harvest from previous champions, test drive plan
Energy resilience: How can we cope with the costs of living?
Michael
Key takeaway: Energy resilience requires everyone to be socially and environmentally responsible
Next steps: Household energy production plan (me); Harvest info about budget commitments; Talk to people; Pressure our representatives.
How do we bring more EATERS into supporting local food systems?
Sam
Key takeaway: Connection is critical
Next steps: 1. Reflect on what’s happened until now. 2. Tap into values to promote
Need, purpose and powerful questions
The Need, Purpose and Powerful Question triangle is a minimal pattern, the basic ingredients, for inviting and hosting conversations that matter.
What is the need? If there is a need that requires respectful conversation and wise action as a response, then it’s time to meet in a hosted space.
What is the purpose? A clear purpose that they can share will support people to show up well and willingly.
What is our powerful question(s)? A powerful question will invite people in with their different perspectives and ideas, will express the purpose of the meeting and will keep the meeting focused on that shared purpose.
Asking a powerful question is an effective way of opening up a conversation, keeping it engaging, and making it useful. Each of the processes used as part of the Art of Hosting has a powerful question at its core. We learned about powerful questions and their importance in working in complexity. How can we learn to ask more and better questions rather than focusing on having all of the answers?
For more, see page 57 in the digital practice guide.
The Power of a good question - Tenneson Wolf, Kathleen Masters
The Art of Powerful Questions - Eric E Vogt, Juanita Nelson, David Isaacs
Wicked Question Game
In teams, we each explored and helped each other with a personal question. For more information, see page 53 in the digital practice guide.
Judging by the responses, many found this an invaluable exercise. Here are some reflections:
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It caused me to think about asking more clarifying questions
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Importance of delving beyond the original question
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A reminder to be gentle when asking questions
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Asking more questions can help change the answer
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Helped to try to understand others’ perspectives
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It is okay to be silent and not answer the question
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Amazed at different thought patterns people have
Learning Lab
How do we host and design from harvest when we feel like there’s not enough time?Takeaway: This is too important! Claim the space.
Graphic harvesting
We laughed, learned a few skills, and laughed some more. Talents were revealed!
Chaordic Stepping Stones
The Chaordic Stepping Stones is a simple design tool for participatory processes. It helps us walk the chaordic path, creating the minimal structure needed to co-design an initiative or project, large or small, when working in complexity.
For more, see page 63 in the digital practice guide
The Chaordic Stepping Stones - Chris Corrigan
Designing for Wiser Action
Designing for Wiser Action (D4WA) was co-created (in Australia!) to give practitioners the chance to ask for help and the rest of us an opportunity to practice both design and generosity.
Some of us brought our own projects to practice collaborative design, using the D4WA process. It gave us all a chance to practice designing, and using our collaboration skills. We also got to help others move their projects forward.
Below is a summary of the projects and the callers. They were also asked to let us know what they were grateful for and what their next wise steps would be.
Clarity on funding partners
Ruth
What are my next wise steps? Discuss at RCOP meeting for support
What am I grateful for? Insights, patience, open mind, care, re-focus, ownership, energy to stick with it
Landcare Disaster Preparedness
Katie
What are my next wise steps? Write the project plan. Write learnings for future projects
What am I grateful for? Everyone’s diverse and honest feedback and opinions. Everyone’s time
Strengthening and re-visioning our local food system
Sam
What are my next wise steps? Staff lunch - check energy and capacity. Food box cook up at CCF pickup
What am I grateful for? wisdom council and process, and sacred outsiders
Community nursery
Erin
What are my next wise steps? A project stocktake with core team, Build
What am I grateful for? The opportunity to brainstorm in a supportive space with people who aren't invested in the project, and listening to some “out of the box” ideas
Closing circle
We sat together in a circle one more time to hear from those who stepped up with courage to harvest and to check out of our time together with the question: What is my next brave step? Here's just a few snippets of what was spoken:
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Incorporate practices, principles and techniques into my personal life and reflect as a role model to my children.
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Calling conversations in the place where I live, sinking into what I care about.
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Find opportunities to host conversations that matter where I live and work. More offerings, less waiting.
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Push the boundary of possibilities, internally and beyond.
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To take this process to our meetings in Landcare NSW, to be more inclusive and engage people earlier.
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To have more conversations that matter, with myself, in my personal relationships and in my workplace.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to the people who stepped up with courage to participate in the training, and special thanks to the harvesters who collected much of the words and pictures you see here.
The self-organising international and Australian Art of Hosting community is a generous one. Thank you to all of the stewards and practitioners who have contributed to this work, and our learning, and all of us who continue to do so.
We acknowledge the Bunjalung people as traditional custodians of the land on which we met and learned together. We pay deep respect to elders past, present and emerging, and to all of the wisdom holders who have come before.
We acknowledge, and are grateful for the support of South East Landcare and the NSW Landcare program for making this training possible.
The banner image above uses the artwork 'Strong & Soft Eucalyptus' Robyn Beeston.
It was a privilege and delight to host you all, and learn alongside you. We wish you well in your practice - your hosting team Mel Geltch, David Newell, Marien Stark and Linda Cavanagh.
For more information, visit www.artofhosting.org or contact Mel Geltch mel@campfire.coop
