Human to Human

For Question Designers Everywhere

One of the skills I most rely on as a facilitator, and as the human being that I am, is being able to ask good questions. I've learned a few goto reliances that connect people to an ecosystem of curiosity -- like the web that connects morning dew in the photo I took recently. Some of the reliance is attitude that infuses simple questions with added invitation. Some of it is the wording that makes it accessible to most everyone. All of it points to learning so as to be in connection and discovery with self, with teams, with circumstance. (12 minutes)

With Kate McCracken -- Sense-Maker, Writer, Parent, Leadership Facilitator

I love the connection with Kate. She thinks so well on her feet. She connects insights. She knows stuff. She's not afraid to lean to the not knowing. I start with a simple question -- What has your attention these days? We follow that through writing, parenting, CoVid, humaning, and a few other topics. I love her reference to "returning to something not remembered." Enjoy.

From Normal to Now

I loved the recent conversation I had with friend Bob Stilger, that then inspired my blog post of the same name, From Normal to Now. It's not "getting back to normal" that feels helpful or honest in these CoVid times. It's more learning to be in the "now" and seriously revising our psyche's relationship with "normal." (Program Note -- I mistakenly referenced Japan's triple disaster as 2013. It was 2011.)

In The End of the World (As We Think We Know It)

For a while during this CoVid pandemic, I found myself oddly resisting, yet also turning toward, the idea of catastrophe. In the resistance, I guessed that there was something fruitful to give myself permission to explore. There is potency in going toward that which we fear or resist, right. Well, these 16 minutes are a version of that. It's six things that I feel I'm learning when I let myself into "end of the world" thinking.

With Casey Tinnin -- Pastor, Community Activist, Friend

Casey is one of my favorite people in the world. His energy and his honesty are very inviting. I met him through the United Church of Christ Next Generation Leadership Initiative, at which I've been faculty now for three years. Casey brings insight, wonder, compassion and so many other delicious slivers of aliveness in making space for people.

Another Systems View of This Virus and These CoVid Times

I’m a group process person, that comes from an orientation of living systems, and that has particular interest in how the humanity of things plays out in a world in which everything is connected to everything. I’ve been afraid with CoVid. Yup. Worried. Yup. Trying to offer clarity to those near me. Yup. Here’s some of that clarity, a few headlines, from my systems brain and heart as I try to follow things (9 minutes).

 

With Quanita Roberson

I love talking / listening with my friend and colleague Quanita (13 minutes). She brings insightful reflection and wonder to her becoming -- the deep, fun, and easy; the relationship with mentors and elders; the relationship that she sees with divine order. Enjoy.

With Jim Strader-Sasser

Who are you? What's it like to be you? How did you become you? What's now got to do with the long arc? Jim can follow the prompt with spontaneity, seriousness, humor. I like all of that. I've come to learn that these questions are ongoing for all of us.

The Thing Behind The Thing Behind The Thing -- The Circle Way

This phrase is one of my favorites these days -- The thing behind the thing behind the thing. It suggests quest. It suggests layers. It suggests “ongoing” (I could very easily add ellipsis…). It’s narrative for what I feel we are so often up to in teams, groups, communities, and families. It’s also straight talk, plain and simple.

From The Blog -- On Operating Systems in Groups: Try Thinking Less

I’m the kind of human that likes to explore the operating systems for working with groups. I suppose I’ve been searching for and experimenting with improvements most of my life. So as to add more consciousness. Or kindness. Or brilliance accessed through the whole of it.