Journaling and reflections of Day One
Christine Mudavnhu
Art of Hosting training participant, Sunshine Coast February 2021 We were meeting and greeting everyone. At the centre was this circle of this fantastic artwork which had artefacts/totems on the periphery. I had no prior knowledge of the Art of Hosting methodologies and the community; this was a new adventure. Everyone was friendly and smiles everywhere; there was a strong sense of relaxation and no stress. Unlike previous trainings I have been to, there was such an informality about the atmosphere I was not sure how this would translate. The question to ponder was complex and simple at the same time. "What becomes possible, when we turn towards each other and act wisely together?" Wow, what a concept of acting wisely together. Questions in my head: I wondered how this would all in time come together and what tools I would learn to apply to my corporate community. We were challenged with how we can be in deep conversation and then act wisely. I learnt a new language, new words like hosting and harvesting. This environment used metaphorical language; something society has been since the dawn of time to communicate. I learnt this was a community founded on the principle of co-creation; no one is an expert in this community. We are all here to learn, and this concept of the practitioner was demonstrated well in the 11 people hosting this forum. From the fantastic welcome to country and invitation to the land and to be grounded and carried by the land's ancestors to the closing out ceremony, we were grounded in practice. This gave all of us a sense of reverence for the deep work that we were about to embark on. All participants were invited to participate as equals. The environment where you were being told; this was an opportunity for us to learn and grow together. We were invited to attend to our needs. Mental wellness was critical, and it was evident in the design. We were encouraged to embrace all of who we are. Our incredible diversity was included in the fabric of the design of the training. People introduced themselves and the different places they have come from. People's language and art and culture were all included and embraced. The three days were structured around the metaphors of how our learning was to evolve. Step In – Day 1, Step up day 2 and Step Out Day 3. The invitation was for deep listening to what’s spoken and unspoken. The concept of the circle and an explanation of what this all meant was introduced. We learnt about the importance of holding space and allowing conversations to evolve and listening without thinking of what needs to be said next. This resonated with my work on Appreciative Inquiry as a framework for engaging organisations in deep and difficult conversations. I could see how this training would evolve my practice and the changes I could make to my approaches around organisational behaviour and performance and innovating, transforming, and diversifying to alter and change an organisation. New and old concepts like World Café were introduced, we were invited to learn and grow and apply these traditional concepts in this non-traditional training format. Day one offered me the following vital reflections:
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