Monday, August 24, 2009

Conversation, the art.

Conversation Café – a community I’m involved with hosted a conversation café similar to a world café facilitation technique (www.theworldcafe.com) to engage their community in discussion around important topics to build on in their community. It is a conversational process based on a set of integrated design principles. Conversation being the means to an end.

Conversation and connecting – Socrates never wrote a word down, he lived through conversation. Conversation, when focused on finding the truth, the meaning of life or exploring ideas that have transformed the world, connect and unfold.

Conversation Sparks – Conversations are not the intent of our governments or organizations, usually the purpose is around some other outcome. What if conversations were the desired outcome? One implication is that the process becomes the focus making outcomes really ongoingcomes which lead to unknown endcomes due to the flexibility of the process. Then what about those who want something more concrete in order to know they're on the right track? Perhaps it's time to get more comfortable with unknown. Or, at least, combine ongoingcomes, outcomes and endcomes together with desiredcomes. Changing language sparks conversation.

Unintentional community and conversation – conversation is the intent of some groups. An unintentional community is where fate not choice brought you together such as your neighbourhood. Check out the Oakland EcoVillage whose goals are: self education, self entertainment and conversation. Check one out at www.phinneyecovillage.net. To see more about the EcoVillage movement visit http://gen.ecovillage.org. This is something any community can pick up on and modify in their own neighbourhood, pretty cool.

The art of conversation, the art of travel, the art of war - all books that take a very different approach to their relationship with art. How is it that conversation is transforming before our eyes, or should I say b4 R I’s.

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